electrical engineering dictionary

General Handbook

for Electrical

Engineers

Compiled By:

Muhammad Haris

14R-13-EE-179

Table of contents

Section 1: Electrical Engineering Jargons.....

03

Section 2: 100 English Vocabulary building words.....

37

Section 3: Word synonyms and antonyms.....

47

Section 4: Word Families...

54

References..

60

General Handbook for Electrical Engineers 3 | P a g e

Section 1:

Electrical

Engineering

Jargons

Section 1 | Electrical Engineering Jargons

A


A

A/D A device that changes an analog

signal to a digital signal of

corresponding magnitude. This

device is also called an encoder, adc,

or a/c converter.

aberration An imperfection of an optical system

that leads to a blurred or a distorted

image.

absorption Process that dissipates energy and

causes a decrease in the amplitude

and intensity of a propagating wave

between an input and output

reference plane.

AC A periodic current the average value

of which over a period is zero.

accelerator A machine used to impart large

kinetic energies to charged particles

such as electrons, protons, and

atomic nuclei. The accelerated

particles are used to probe nuclear or

subnuclear phenomena in industrial

and medical applications.

acceptance The phase-space volume within

which the beam must lie to be

transmitted through an optical system

without losses.

accumulator A register in the CPU (processor) that

stores one of the operands prior to

the execution of an operation, and

into which the result of the operation

is stored.

actuator A transducer that converts electrical,

hydraulic, or pneumatic energy to

effective motion.

address A unique identier for the place

where information is stored.

algorithm A systematic and precise, step-by-

step procedure (such as a recipe, a

program, or set of programs) for

solving a certain kind of problem or

accomplishing a task.

aliasing Distortion introduced in a digital

signal when it is under sampled.


A


ammeter An instrument for measuring electric

current in amperes.

Amperes law A fundamental relationship in

electromagnetic theory. In a fairly

general form it is expressed by one of

Maxwells equations.

amplier A circuit element that has a linear

input-output signal relationship, with

gain in voltage, current, and/or

power.

amplitude Descriptor of the strength of a wave

disturbance such as an

electromagnetic or acoustic wave.

analog data Data represented in a continuous

form with respect to continuous time,

as contrasted with digital data

represented in a discrete

(discontinuous) form in a sequence of

time instant.

AND The Boolean operator that

implements the conjunction of two

predicates.

annealing A process often used in

semiconductor processing to cause a

change in materials or device

properties to improve the circuit

performance and/or reliability.

anode The positive electrode of a device.

antenna A device used to couple energy from

a guiding structure (transmission line,

waveguide, etc.) Into a propagation

medium, such as free space, and

vice versa. It provides directivity and

gain for the transmission and

reception of electromagnetic waves.

argument A piece of data given to a hardware

operator block.

armature The magnetic circuit of a rotating

electrical machine, including the main

current carrying winding, in which an

alternating voltage is induced by the

magnetic eld.

artefact An error or aberration in a signal that

is the result of aliasing, a quantization

error, some form of noise.


B


ASCII A binary code comprised of seven

digits, originally used to transmit

telegraph signal information.

attenuation The exponential decrease with

distance, in the amplitude of an

electric signal traveling along a very

long transmission line due to losses

in the supporting medium.

autotransformer A power transformer that has a single

continuous winding per phase, part of

this winding being common to both

the primary and the secondary sides.

As a result, these voltages are not

isolated but the transformer is

reduced in weight and size.

avalanche breakdown Process that occurs in a

semiconductor space charge region

under a sufciently high voltage.

AVR An automatic feedback control

system that is responsible for

maintaining a scheduled voltage

either at the terminals of a

synchronous generator or at the high-

side bus of the generator step-up

transformer.

axon The conducting portion of a nerve

ber.

azimuth recording A recording scheme where by the

data is recorded at an acute angle

from the direction of movement of the

recording medium. Used in the

recording scheme of video

information, FM radio, and audio in

VCRs.

B

back EMF A voltage developed in an electrical

winding by Faradays Law that

opposes the source voltage, thus

limiting the current in the winding.

band Reference name for a range of

frequencies. Current dened bands

include the following.

bandwidth The frequency range of a message or

information processing system

measured in hertz.


B


baud The signaling rate, or rate of state

transitions, on a communications

medium.

BCD A weighted code using patterns of

four bits to represent each decimal

position of a number.

benchmark Standard tests that are used to

compare the performance of

computers, processors, circuits, or

algorithms.

biasing The technique of applying a direct

current voltage to a transistor or an

active network to establish the

desired operating point.

BIOS Part of a low-level operating system

that directly controls input and output

devices.

bipolar A type of transistor that uses both

polarities of carriers (electrons and

holes) in its operation as a junction

transistor.

BIT The fundamental unit of information

representation in a computer, short

for binary digit and with two values

usually represented by 0 and 1.

BJT A three-terminal nonlinear device

composed of two bipolar junctions

(collector-base, base-emitter) in close

proximity

Boolean An operator or an expression of

George Booles algebra (1847). A

Boolean variable or signal can

assume only two values: TRUE or

FALSE.

boost converter A circuit conguration in which a

transistor is switched by PWM trigger

pulses and a diode provides an

inductor current continuation path

when the transistor is off. During the

transistor on-time, the current builds

up in the inductor. During the

transistor off-time, the voltage across

the inductor reverses and adds to the

input voltage, as a result, the output

voltage is greater than the input

voltage.

BPI Bits per inch.


C


breadboard An experimental device built only to

investigate, test, analyze, evaluate,

validate, a concept, device, circuit,

equipment, or system.

breakdown As applied to insulation (including

air), the failure of an insulator or

insulating region to prevent

conduction, typically because of high

voltage.

broadband A service or system requiring

transmission channels capable of

supporting bit rates greater than 2

Mbit/s.

brush A conductor, usually carbon or a

carboncopper mixture, that makes

sliding electrical contact to the rotor

of an electrical machine.

buck converter A transistor is switched by PWM

trigger pulses and a diode provides a

current continuation path when the

transistor is off, thus the input voltage

is chopped.

buffer A temporary data storage area in

memory that compensates for the

different speeds at which different

elements are transferred within a

system.

bus A data path connecting the different

subsystems or modules within a

computer system. A computer

system will usually have more than

one bus; each bus will be customized

to t the data transfer needs between

the modules that it connects.

C

cache An intermediate memory storage

calibration The procedure of characterizing the

equipment in place for a particular

measurement.

capacitance The measure of the electrical size of

a capacitor, in units of farads.

carcinotron A forward radial traveling wave

amplier in which microwave signals

are fed to the radial slow wave

structure.


C


carry Overow signal that occurs when the

sum of the operands at the inputs of

the adder equals the base.

cascade A circuit technique in which the

current output of the collector (drain)

of a BJT (FET) is buffered by a

common base (common gate)

amplier stage.

cathode The negative electrode of a device.

cell The area serviced by one base

station.

cepstrum Inverse Fourier transform of the

logarithm of the Fourier power

spectrum of a signal.

channel The medium along which data travel

between the transmitter and receiver

in a communication system. This

could be a wire, coaxial cable, free

space, etc.

chaos Erratic and unpredictable dynamic

behaviour of a deterministic system

that never repeats itself.

charge A basic physical quantity that is a

source of electromagnetic elds.

chattering Fast switching.

checksum Checksum is a value used to

determine if a block of data has

changed.

chirp The varying in time of a carrier

frequency signal.

circuit A physical device consisting of an

interconnection of elements, or a

topological model of such a device.

clamping The process of xing either the

minima or maxima of a voltage

clipping Nonlinear distortion that occurs when

the input to an amplier exceeds the

ampliers linear range.

clock The oscillator circuit that generates a

periodic synchronization signal.


C


coax A transmission line formed by two

concentric conductors separated by a

dielectric designed to conne the

elds and their energy in the medium

between said conductors.

codec Word formed from encoder and

decoder. A device that performs

encoding and decoding of

communications protocols.

coherent Integration where magnitude and

phase of received signals are

preserved in summation.

coil A conductor shaped to form a closed

geometric path.

commutation The process by which alternating

current in the rotating coil of a DC

machine is converted to

unidirectional current.

comparator A logic element that compares two

binary numbers (A and B) to

determine if A = B, AB. An

exclusive NOR gate operates like a

1-bit comparator.

compensator A system block added to an existing

system (or process) to produce a

combined transfer function that

improves its performance when

connected in a closed loop

conguration.

compiler A program that translates a high level

language program into an executable

machine instruction program or other

lower-level form such as assembly

language.

complement To swap 1s for 0s and 0s for 1s in

a binary number.

computer An electronic, electromechanical, or

purely mechanical device that

accepts input, performs some

computational operations on the

input, and produces some output.

conductance A characteristic that describes the

availability and the mobility of

conduction electrons within a

material.

conductivity A measure of a materials ability to

conduct electrical current.


D


conduit A pipe through which an electrical

cables are laid.

control Intervention, by means of appropriate

manipulated inputs, into the

controlled process in the course of its

operation; some form of observation

of the actual controlled process

behavior is usually being used by the

controller.

convergence The condition when the electron

beams from a multi-beam CRT meet

at a single point.

copper loss Electric loss due to the resistance in

conductors, windings, brush contacts

or joints, in electric machinery or

circuits. Also referred to as i2r, the

losses are manifested as heat.

core The ferromagnetic portion of a

transformer or electric machine on

which the coils are mounted.

coupler A passive, wavelength in sensitive,

ber optic component that combines

all inputs and distributes them to the

outputs with a dened splitting ratio.

current The ow of charge, measured in

amperes

D

D ip-op A basic sequential logic circuit, also

known as bistable, whose output

assumes the value (0 or 1) at its D

input when the device is clocked.

Hence it can be used as a single bit

memory device, or a unit delay.

damping A characteristic built in to electrical

circuits and mechanical systems that

prevents rapid or excessive

corrections that may lead to instability

or oscillatory conditions.

data Any information, represented in

binary, that a computer receives,

processes, or outputs.

DC Constant voltage with no variation

over time. This can be considered in

general terms as an alternating

current (ac) with a frequency of

variation of zero, or a zero frequency

signal.


D


debug To remove errors from hardware or

software.

decimal From the number system that has

base 10 and employs 10 digits.

decoder A logic circuit with N inputs and 2n

outputs, one and only one of which is

asserted to indicate the numerical

value of the N input lines read as a

binary number.

delay The time required for a signal to

propagate along a wire.

delta connection A three-phase power source or load

in which the elements are connected

in series and are thus represented on

a schematic diagram as a triangular

conguration.

demodulation The process by which a modulated

signal is recovered back to its original

form.

demultiplexer A logic circuit with K inputs and I

controls which steers the K inputs to

one set of 2i sets of output lines.

diffusion A region of a semiconductor into

which a very high concentration of

impurity has been diffused in order to

substantially increase the majority

carrier concentration in that region.

digital Circuits or systems that employ two

valued (binary) signals denoted by

the digits 0and1.

Normallybinary1isusedtoindicate

high/true and binary 0 to indicate

low/false (positive logic).

diode A two-terminal device that permits

the ow of electric current in only one

direction.

discriminator A circuit whose output voltage varies

in magnitude and polarity in direct

proportion to the difference between

the input voltage and a standard

signal.

dissipation The phenomenon associated with the

attenuation of a propagating wave in

a medium with material losses.

distortion Addition of an unwanted component

to an electronic signal.


E


domain Module or area of execution that is to

be kept isolated from other domains.

dont care A function that can be taken either as

a minterm or a maxterm at the

convenience of the user.

doping The process of introducing impurity

atoms in to pure silicon to change its

electrical properties.

Doppler effect A frequency shift in a received signal

caused by time-variant transmission

delay, or equivalently time-variant

propagation path length.

down-sampling An operation that removes samples

with certain indexes from a discrete

time signal and then re-indexes the

remaining samples.

dropout Equipment misoperation due to an

interruption, noise, or sag.

duplex A method of winding the armature of

a commutated electric machine such

that the number of parallel electrical

paths between brushes is double that

provided by a simplex winding.

duty cycle The ratio of the turn-on time of a

semiconductor switch to the sum of

the turn-on and turn-off times.

dyed resist A photoresist with an added non

photosensitive chemical that absorbs

light at the exposing wavelength.

dynamo A term used to describe any of a

variety of rotating machines that

convert mechanical to electrical

energy, or less commonly, electrical

to mechanical energy.

dynamometer A rotating device used to measure

the steady-state torque and power

output of rotating machines.

E

earthing An earth-connected electrical

conducting connection that may be

designed or non-intentionally created.


E


Eddy current A circulating current in magnetic

materials that is produced as a result

of time-varying ux passing through a

metallic magnetic material.

edge A local intensity discontinuity, often

corresponding to the boundary of an

object, in an image.

efciency The ratio of the input power to the

output power. It is a gure of merit for

the energy cost effectiveness of a

device.

electrolyte Current-conducting solution between

two electrodes or plates of a

capacitor, at least one of which is

covered by a dielectric.

electromagnet A magnet that employs an electric

current in a coil to produce a

magnetic eld.

emulate Executing a program compiled to one

instruction set on a microprocessor

that

usesanincompatibleinstructionset,bytr

anslatingtheincompatibleinstructions

whilethe program is running.

encoder A logic circuit with 2N inputs and N

outputs, the outputs indicating the

number of the one input line that is

asserted.

encryption The transformation employed to

transform information to be

transmitted (plaintext) into a format

that is unintelligible.

energy That which does work or is capable

of doing work. In electrical systems, it

is generally a reference to electrical

energy measured in kilo-watt hours.

entity A software process that implements a

part of a protocol in a computer

communication network.

error Manifestation of a fault at logical

level. For example, a physical short

or

breakmayresultinlogicalerrorofstuck-

at-0 or stuck-at-1 state of some

signal in the considered circuit.

etching A reactive process where material is

removed from a semiconductor

device or printed circuit board.


F


ethernet A standard for interconnecting

devices on a local area network

(LAN).

exciter A DC source that supplies the eld

current to produce a magnetic ux in

an electric machine.

extrinsic Associated with the outside or

exterior. In devices and device

modeling, extrinsic refers to that part

of the device or model associated

with the passive structures that

provide interconnects and contacts to

other components, but are still

considered a part of the device.

F

Farad The basic unit of measure in

capacitors. A capacitor charged to 1

volt with a charge of 1 coulomb (1

ampere owing for 1 second) has a

capacitance of 1 farad.

feedback Signal or data that is sent back to a

commanding unit from a control

process output for use as input in

subsequent operations.

ferromagnetic materials In which internal magnetic moments

spontaneously line up parallel to

each other to form domains, resulting

in permeabilities considerably higher

than unity

FET A majority carrier device that

behaves like a bipolar transistor with

the important difference that the gate

has a very high input impedance and

therefore draws no current.

fidelity A qualitative term used to describe

how closely the output amplitude of a

device faithfully reproduces that of its

input.

eld The member of an electrical machine

that provides the main magnetic ux,

which then interacts with the

armature causing the desired

machine operation.

fifo A queuing discipline whereby the

entries in a queue are removed in the

same order as that in which they

joined the queue.

filter A network, usually composed of

inductors and capacitors (for lumped

circuit), or transmission lines of


F


varying length and characteristic

impedance (for distributed circuit),

that passes AC signals over a certain

frequency range while blocking

signals at other frequencies.

firmware Software that cannot be modied by

the end user.

flag A bit used to set or reset some

condition or state in assembly

language or machine language.

flashover Arcing between segments of the

commutator of a DC machine.

flip-op A basic digital device capable of

storing one bit of information (1 or 0).

flowchart A traditional graphic representation of

an algorithm or a program, in using

named functional blocks (rectangles),

decision evaluators (diamonds), and

I/O symbols (paper, disk)

interconnected by directional arrows

which indicate the ow of processing.

Also called ow diagram.

fluorescence Emission of light from an

electronically excited state that was

produced by absorption of radiation

with a wavelength shorter than the

emitted light.

flux Lines that indicate the intensity and

direction of a eld. Intensity is usually

represented by the density of the

lines.

FM Angle modulation in which the

instantaneous frequency of a sine-

wave carrier is caused to depart from

the carrier frequency by an amount

proportional to the instantaneous

value of the modulating wave.

frequency The repetition rate of a periodic

signal used to represent or process a

communication signal. Frequency is

expressed in units of hertz (hz).

fringing The portion of the ux at the air gap

in a magnetic circuit that does not

follow the shortest path between the

poles.

full adder A combinational logic circuit that

produces a two-bit sum of three one-

bit binary numbers.


G


function A programming construct that creates

its own frame on a stack, accepting

arguments, performing some

computation, and returning a result.

fuse An overcurrent device that employs

one or more fusible elements in

series.

G

g (giga) A prex indicating a quantity of 109.

gain The ratio of the output variable of a

device to its input variable.

galloping A low-frequency vibration of electric

power lines caused by wind.

gate A logical or physical entity that

performs one logical operation, such

as AND, NOT, or OR.

Gauss law Fundamental law of electromagnetic

eld that states that the total

electric/magnetic ux through a

closed surface is equal to the total

electric/magnetic charge enclosed.

generator Electromechanical devices that

convert mechanical power into

electrical power, typically via Faraday

induction effects between moving

and stationary current carrying coils

and/or magnets.

genlock A shortened term for generator lock,

meaning that one sync generator

system is locked to another.

glitch An incorrect state of a signal that

lasts a short time compared to the

clock period of the circuit.

governor A device connected to a rotating

machine by which the speed-

regulating system is automatically

adjusted to maintain constant speed

under various load conditions.

grip A twisted wire tie which secures a

wire to an insulator or other xture.

ground The electrical zero state, used as

the reference voltage in computer

systems.


H


guy A wire which extends at an angle

from a utility pole to the ground in

order to brace the pole against

toppling due to unbalanced forces

from the utility lines it supports.

H

hacker A person who explores computer and

communication systems, usually for

intellectual challenge, commonly

applied to those who try to

circumvent security barriers

(crackers).

halfadder A logic circuit that produces the sum

and carry outputs for two input

signals. A half adder has no carry

input.

Hall effect The phenomenon whereby charge

carriers are displaced perpendicularly

to their drift velocity when current

ows in the presence of a magnetic

eld.

harmonic The sinusoidal component of a

periodic waveform that has a

frequency equal to an integer multiple

of the basic frequency (or

fundamental frequency).

hazard A momentary output error that occurs

in a logic circuit because of input

signal propagation along different

delay paths in the circuit.

heap Data storage structure that accepts

items of various sizes and is not

ordered. Contrast with stack.

hole ctitious positive charge representing

the motion of electrons in the valence

band of a semiconductor; the number

of holes equals the number of

unoccupied quantum states in the

valence band.

hot An energized conductor.

hunting A mechanical oscillation in the speed

of a synchronous machine due to

changes in the load. Damper

windings are used to reduce the

hunting by providing a torque that

opposes the change in speed.

hybrid circuit A circuit based on at least two

different technologies. For instance, a


I


circuit built by using solid state

circuits and tubes.

hydrophone Receiving sensors that convert sound

energy into electrical or optical

energy (analogous to underwater

microphones).

hydropower Conversion of potential energy of

water into electricity using generators

coupled to impulse or reaction water

turbines.

hysteresis The phenomenon that the magnetic

state of a substance is dependent

upon its magnetic history, so that its

magnetization for an increasing

magnetizing force differs from that for

a decreasing magnetizing force.

I

i/o Input/output. Operations or devices

that provide data to or accept data

from a computer.

idempotent An operator is idempotent if applying

it twice gives the same result as

applying it only once.

IEEE A professional organization of

electrical engineers and computer

scientists. The worlds largest

professional organization.

immittance A response function for which one

variable is a voltage and the other a

current.

impedance Electrical property of a network that

measures its ability to conduct

electrical AC current for a given AC

voltage.

increment To add a constant value (usually 1) to

a variable or a register. Pointers to

memory are usually incremented by

the size of the data item pointed to.

independence A complete absence of any

dependence between statistical

quantities.

index That part of memory address used to

access the locations in the cache,

generally the next most signicant

bits of the address after the tag.


I


inductance A parameter that describes the ability

of a device to store magnetic ux.

The units are henrys per meter.

inductor A two-terminal electrical element that

satises a prescribed algebraic

relationship in the ux-current

(I)plane.

innite bus An electrical supply with such large

capacity that its voltage(and

frequency, if AC) may be assumed

constant, independent of load

conditions.

information A mathematical model of the amount

of surprise contained in a message.

infrared (IR) Invisible electromagnetic radiation

having wavelengths longer than

those of red light; often considered to

range from about 0.7 micrometers to

100 micrometers.

insolation Incident solar radiation.

instantaneous The range of 0.5 to 30 cycles of the

supply frequency.

instar A term used for a neuron fed by a set

of inputs through synaptic weights.

instruction Specication of a collection of

operations that may be treated as an

atomic entity with a guarantee of no

dependencies between these

operations.

Integrated Circuit (IC) An assembly of miniature electronic

components simultaneously

produced in batch processing, on or

within a single substrate, that

performs an electronic circuit

function.

interface The set of rules specied for

communicating with a dened entity.

interlock The mechanism that stalls a pipeline

while a result needed in the pipeline

is being produced.

interpole A set of small poles located midway

between the main poles of a DC

machine, containing a winding

connected in series with the armature

circuit. The interpole improves

commutation by neutralizing the ux

distortion in the neutral plane caused

by armature reaction.


J


interpreter A computer program that translates

and immediately performs intended

operations of the source statements

of a high-level language program.

interrupt An input to a processor that signals

the occurrence of an asynchronous

event. The processors response to

an interrupt is to save the current

machine state and execute a

predened subprogram.

intrinsic Term associated with the inside or

interior. In devices and device

modeling, intrinsic refers to that part

of the device or model associated

with the active semiconductor

structures that control device

operation, or provide the desired

functions.

inversion When a positive (negative) voltage is

applied between a conductor and a

ptype (n-type) semiconductor

separated by a thin dielectric layer,

the majority carrier holes (electrons)

are repelled and minority carrier

electrons (holes) are trapped at the

surface.

isolation The separation of a part from other

parts of the system so that the effects

of undesired changes in the system

are not seen by the separated part.

J

JFET A type of FET in which the high input

resistance at the gate is achieved by

use of a reverse biased p-n junction

between the gate and the drain-

source channel.

JK ip-op Device that uses two inputs (J and K)

to control the state of its Q and Q0

outputs.

jumper A plug or wire used for setting the

conguration of system.

K

Kalman lter The method of recursively estimating

the state vector of a linear dynamic

system based on noisy output

measurements.


L


Kirchoffs laws Laws that govern the relationships

between voltages/currents in a

circuit/network.

klystrode An amplier device for UHFTV

signals that combines aspects of a

tetrode (grid modulation) with a

klystron (velocity modulation of an

electron beam).

KU-band Frequency band of approximately

1112 ghz.

Kva A measure of apparent power, often

in the rating of a piece of equipment

or the measure of an electrical load,

which is obtained by multiplying the

device voltage in kilovolts by the

current in amperes.

KVL Kirchhoffs voltage law a fundamental

law of electricity that states that the

sum of the voltage drops and rises in

a closed loop must equal 0.

L

laddertron A microwave vacuum tube oscillator

with a slow-wave structure coupled to

a single-cavity resonator.

lag circuit A simple passive electronic circuit

designed to add a dominant pole to

compensate the performance of a

given system.

lamination A thin sheet of metal used to build up

the core of an electromagnetic

device. Laminations are insulated

from each other to reduce the losses

associated with eddy currents.

lapwinding An armature winding on a DC

machine in which the two ends of

each coil are connected to adjacent

bars on the commutator ring.

laser Acronym that stands for light

amplication by stimulated emission

of radiation. Usually refers to an

oscillator rather than an amplier.


L


latch A small temporary holding cell for a

value, the value on the input wires is

buffered upon occurrence of some

event, such as a clock pulse or rising

edge of a separate latch signal.

lead A conductive path, usually

selfsupporting; the portion of an

electrical component that connects it

to outside circuitry.

leader An elongated region of ionized gas

that extends from one electrode to

another just before a high-voltage

breakdown.

leakage The ux in a magnetic circuit that

does not do any useful work.

LED A forward biased p-n junction that

emits light through spontaneous

emission by a phenomenon termed

electroluminescence.

limiter An equipment or circuit that has a

function to keep output power

constant.

linear A circuit or element in which the

output spectrum is proportional

through gain(s), attenuation(s) and

delay(s) to the input spectrum, and in

which no spectral shift, conversion or

generation takes place.

literal A data type consisting of

alphanumeric data.

lock A synchronization variable, used in

shared-memory multiprocessors, that

allows only one processor to hold it at

any one time, thus enabling

processors to guarantee that only

one has access to key data

structures or critical sections of code

at any one time.

loop A set of branches forming a closed

current path, provided that the

omission of any branch eliminates

the closed path.


M


M

m(mega) Abbreviationfor1,048,576(not for 1

million).

magnet Any object that can sustain an

external magnetic eld

magnetron Any arrangement of magnets in a

sputter deposition or etch system that

provides the magnetic eld required

to trap electrons in closed loops near

the cathode, thus enhancing

deposition/etch rates.

mask To specify a number of values that

allow some entities in a set, and

disallow the others in the set, from

being active or valid.

master The system component responsible

for controlling a number of others

(called slaves).

matching When referring to circuits, the

process by which a network is placed

between a load and a transmission

line in order to transform the load

impedance to the characteristic

impedance of said line and thus

eliminate the presence of standing

waves on the line.

memory Area for storing computer instructions

and data for either short-term or long-

term purposes.

meshanalysis A circuit analysis technique in which

KVL is used to determine the mesh

currents in a network. A mesh is a

loop that does not contain any loops

within it.

metadyne A DC machine with more than two

brush sets per pair of poles.

microcode A collection of low-level operations

that are executed as a result of a

single instruction being issued.

microcontroller An integrated circuit chip that is

designed primarily for control

systems and products. In addition to

a CPU, a microcontroller typically

includes memory, timing circuits, and

I/O circuitry.


N


microphone A device that converts acoustical

signals into electrical signals.

microprocessor A CPU realized on an LSI or VLSI

chip.

modfet Acronym for modulation doped FET.

modulation Variation of the amplitude or phase of

an electromagnetic wave.

motor An electromechanical device that

converts electrical energy from a DC

or an AC source into mechanical

energy, usually in the form of rotary

motion.

N

NAND gate A logic circuit that performs the

operation equivalent to the AND gate

followed by the inverter.

neutral A conductor which completes the

electric circuit from the load to the

source in three-phase Y-connected

and single phase AC electric power

systems, typically at or near the

potential of the earth.

nibble Four bits of information.

node A symbol representing a physical

connection between two electrical

components in a circuit.

NOR gate A logic circuit that performs the

operation equivalent to the OR gate

followed by the inverter.

NOT A Boolean operation that returns the

1s complement of the data to which

it is applied.

notch A disturbance of the normal voltage

waveform of duration less than 0.5

cycles, is of a polarity that is opposite

to the waveform and is hence

subtracted from the normal waveform

with respect to the peak value of the

disturbance voltage.

nullator An idealized two-terminal network

element that conducts no current and

yet maintains zero volts across itself.


O


O

octave A frequency ratio of two.

offset A sustained derivation or error due to

an inherent characteristic of

positioning controller action.

Ohms law A fundamental law which states that

the voltage across a resistance is

directly proportional to the current

owing through it.

ones complement A representation of integer numbers

in which a data word is organized

such that negative numbers all

contain a binary one in the leftmost

bit while positive numbers contain a

zero in the leftmost bit, and in which

the negative numbers are the bit-by-

bit inverse of their positive equivalent.

open-loop gain The gain of an operational amplier

with no feedback applied.

operand Specication of a storage location

that provides data to or receives data

from the operation.

OPamp A high-gain DC coupled amplier with

a differential input and single-ended

output. In nearly all amplier

applications, the op-amp is used with

negative feedback (closed-loop), so

that the closed-loop gain of the

amplier depends primarily on the

feedback network components, and

not on the op-amp itself. It is widely

used as a basic building block in

electronic designs.

optimization Determining the values of the set of

free parameters that minimizes or

maximizes an objective function. The

minimization or maximization may be

subject to additional constraints.

optode A ber optic sensor used to

determine the concentration of a

particular chemical species present in

the sensors environment by utilizing

spectroscopic changes in a sensing

element placed at the end of the

optical ber.

OR The Boolean operator that

implements the disjunction of two

predicates.

organic led A group of recently developed

organic material that emits light in

response to electrical input. Although


P


lower in efciency, they have greater

manufacturing exibility than

semiconductor led.

oscillator A circuit that generates a repetitive

series of pulses at a certain

frequency.

overow A data condition in arithmetic

operations of signed numbers where

the magnitude of a result exceeds the

number of bits assigned to represent

the magnitude.

overload A situation that results in electrical

equipment carrying more than its

rated current. Placing too much

electrical load on a generator or too

much mechanical load on a motor

would cause an overload.

P

P-N junction A junction between regions of the

same bulk material that differ in the

concentration of dopants, n-type on

one side and p-type on the other.

packet A unit of data which is sent over a

network. A packet comprises a

payload containing some data, and

either a header or a trailer containing

control information.

parallel bus A data communication path between

parts of the system that has one line

for each bit of data being transmitted.

parity Property of a binary sequence that

determines if the number of 1s in the

sequence is either odd or even.

parking On a bus, a priority scheme that

allows a bus master to gain control of

the bus without arbitration.

parsing The process of detecting whether a

given string belongs to a given

language, typically represented by

grammars.

PCB A substrate made from insulating

material that has one or more

sandwiched metallic conductor layers

applied that are etched to form

interconnecting traces useful for

interconnecting components.

permeability Tensor relationship between the

magnetic eld vector and the


P


magnetic ux density vector in a

medium with no hysteresis; ux

density divided by the magnetic eld

in scalar media.

permeance The magnetic analog for

conductance, indicating the ease with

which magnetic ux will follow a

certain path, which can be

approximated by calculations based

purely on magnetic circuit geometry.

phasor A complex number representing the

amplitude and phase of a sinusoidal

function.

photodetector Device capable of producing or

modifying an electrical signal in

proportion to the amount of light

falling on the active area of the

device.

photon A minimum energy quantum of light

energy proportional to the frequency

of the radiation.

PID A control scheme whereby the signal

that drives the actuator equals the

weighted sum of 1. The difference, 2.

Time integral of the difference, and 3.

Time derivative of the difference

between the input and the measured

actual output.

piezoelectric Pertaining to a material that

possesses a noncentrosymetric

crystal structure that will generate

charge on the application of a

mechanical stress.

pin The electronic connection that allows

connection between an integrated

circuit or circuit board and some

socket into which it is plugged.

pin diode A diode with a large intrinsic region

sandwiched between p- and n-doped

semiconducting regions.

pinch-off voltage The gate-to-source voltage at which

the channel current is reduced to a

very small predetermined level

specied in milliamperes per

millimeter.

pipelining A technique to increase the output. A

long task is divided into components,

and each component is distributed to

one processor.


P


plugging A procedure to bring a three phase

motor to an abrupt stop by reversing

the direction of the rotating magnetic

eld in the airgap.

poison Any material or process which

absorbs neutrons and thus dampens

a nuclear ssion reaction, e.g.,

control rods.

polarity The notation used in the assignment

of voltages. In dc generators, the

polarity of the armature voltage can

be reversed by either reversing its

eld current or by rotating the

generator in reverse direction.

potential An auxiliary scalar or vector eld that

mathematically simplies the solution

process associated with vector

boundary value problems.

power A measurable quantity that is the

time rate of increase or decrease in

energy. Units are in watts.

primemover The system that provides the

mechanical power input for a

mechanical-to electrical energy

conversion system.

propagation The motion of electromagnetic waves

through a medium or free space.

prototyping Building an engineering model of all

or part of a system to prove that the

concept works.

pseudo code A technique for specifying the logic of

a program in an English-like

language. Pseudo code does not

have to follow any syntax rules and

can be read by anyone who

understands programming logic.

pulse A sudden change of an electrical

value of short duration with a quick

return to the original value.

PWM A control technique used in variable

speed DC, AC, or other electrical

variable speed drives to control the

harmonic content of the applied

voltage or current. Typically, the

pulse width is modulated in three

ways, trailingedge modulation,

leading-edge modulation, and

double-edge modulation. Most

popular is sinusoidal PWM for AC

drives.


Q


pyroelectric A polar dielectric material in which

the internal dipole moment is

temperature dependent.

Q

quadword A data unit formed from four words.

quantization The process of converting amplitude

values that can take on many

different values (innitely many for

analog signals) into a nite (or more

coarse) representation.

R

radar An instrument that transmits

electromagnetic waves and receives

properties of the reected

electromagnetic wave from the

target, which can be used to

determine the nature and distance to

the target. Radar is an acronym that

stands for radio detection and

ranging.

radiation The phenomenon by which sources

generate energy, which propagates

away from them in the form of waves.

radix The base number in a number

system. Decimal (radix 10) and

binary (radix 2) are two example

number systems.

RAM Direct access read/write storage in

which each addressable unit has a

unique hardwired addressing

mechanism. The time to access a

randomly selected location is

constant and not dependent on its

position or on any previous accesses.

RC time constant The time needed for signal traveling

from an end to the other end of a wire

is constant when the wire and the

whole chip is scaled down.

reactance grounded An electrical system in which the

neutral is intentionally grounded

through a reactance. Frequently used

in the neutral of generators and

transformers to limit the magnitude of

line to ground fault currents.

reactive load A load that is purely capacitive or

inductive.


S


real power The power dissipated by the source

in the network.

register A circuit formed from identical ip-

ops or latches and capable of

storing several bits of data.

regulation The change in voltage from no load

to full-load expressed as a

percentage of full-load voltage.

relay A device that opens or closes a

contact when energized.

reluctance The resistance to magnetic ux in a

magnetic circuit; analogous to

resistance in an electrical circuit.

remanence In a ferromagnetic material, the value

of the magnetic ux density when the

magnetic eld intensity is zero.

resistance Ratio of the potential of an electrical

current applied to a given conductor

to the current intensity value.

resonance In an RLC circuit, the resonance is

the state at which the reactance of

the inductor, XL, and the reactance of

the capacitor, XC, are equal.

ripple The AC (time-varying) portion of the

output signal from a rectier circuit.

rotor The rotating part of an electrical

machine including the shaft, such as

the rotating armature of a DC

machine or the eld of a synchronous

machine.

RS ip-op A single-bit storage element, usually

formed by connecting two NOR or

NAND gates in series. RS stands for

reset set.

S

sag A decline ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 pu

in RMS voltage or current at the

supply frequency for a time period of

0.5 cycles to 1 minute.

saturation The failure of the output to increase

as fast as the input.


S


schottky diode A two-terminal junction barrier device

formed by a junction of a

semiconductor and a metal. These

diodes are widely used in integrated

circuit applications and in very high

frequency mixer and multipliers. Also

called hot-carrier diode.

self-bias A technique employed whereby a

transistor only needs a single bias

supply voltage between the drain

terminal and ground.

semiconductor A material in which electrons in the

outermost shell are able to migrate

from atom to atom when a modest

amount of energy is applied.

sensor A transducer or other device whose

input is a physical phenomenon and

whose output is a quantitative

measurement of that physical

phenomenon.

serial port A communications interface that

supports bit by bit data transmission.

servomechanism A closed-loop control system

consisting of a motor driven by a

signal that is a function of the

difference between commanded

position and/or rate and measured

actual position and/or rate to achieve

the conformance.

short circuit A condition on the power system

where energized conductors come in

contact (or generate an arc by

coming in close proximity) with each

other or with ground, allowing

(typically large) fault currents to ow.

shunt A device having appreciable

impedance connected in parallel

across other devices

sinusoid A periodic signal x(t) =

cos(t+)where = 2f with

frequency in hertz.

skin effect The tendency of an alternating

current to concentrate in the areas of

lowest impedance.

slip In an induction motor, slip is dened

as the ratio of the slip speed to the

synchronous speed.

sole A nonemitting cathode.


T


solenoid A wound cylindrical and magnetic

material assembly used typically for

producing linear motions.

spectrum A range of electromagnetic energy

ordered in accordance with their

relative periodicity.

spice A computer simulation program

developed by the University of

California, Berkeley, in 1975.

Versions are available from several

companies. The program is

particularly advantageous for

electronic circuit analysis, since DC,

AC, transient, noise, and statistical

analysis is possible.

stator The portion of a motor that includes

and supports the stationary active

parts. The stator includes the

stationary portions of the magnetic

circuit and the associated windings

and leads.

surge A short-duration (microsecond to

millisecond) increase in power line

voltage. Also called a spike or an

impulse.

switch A device that allows current ow

when closed and provides isolation

when open.

sync generator Signal generator that is designed to

produce a specied signal waveform

in order to synchronize a specic

electronic device or system.

synchronization A situation when two or more

processes coordinate their activities

based upon a condition.

T

tachometer A instrument used to measure the

speed of a rotating device.

terminator A device connected to the physical

end of a signal line that prevents the

unwanted reection of the signal

back to its source.

threshold The limiting value of some variable of

interest.


U


thyristor A controllable four-layer (pnpn)

power semiconductor switching

device that can only be on or off, with

no intermediate operating states like

transistors.

token Device that generates or assists in

generation of one-time security

code/passwords.

tolerance The total amount by which a quantity

is allowed to vary.

torque The product of a force acting at a

distance. The output of an electric

motor.

transducer A device that converts a physical

quantity into an electrical signal.

transmission The act of sending information from

one location to another.

transmittance Ratio of the complex amplitude of a

transmitted wave to the complex

amplitude of the corresponding

incident wave at a transmitting

surface.

transmitter Equipment used to generate an RF

carrier signal, modulate this signal

and radiate it into space.

triac A power switch that is functionally a

pair of converter-grade thyristors

connected in anti-parallel. Triacs are

mainly used in phase control

applications such as dimmer

switches for lighting.

tunnel diode A PN diode structure that uses band

to band tunneling to produce a

terminal negative differential

resistance.

tunnelling A physical phenomenon whereby an

electron can move instantly through a

thin dielectric.

U

uart Universal asynchronous receiver/

transmitter.

ultraviolet A term referring to wavelengths

shorter than 400 nm, but longer than

30 nm. The region 400300 nm is the


V


near ultraviolet, 300200 is the

middle ultraviolet; and 20030 nm is

the far ultraviolet or vacuum.

underexcited A condition of operating a

synchronous machine, in which the

current to the DC eld winding is

insufcient to establish the required

magnetic ux in the airgap.

underow A condition in a oating-point system

where the result of an operation is

nonzero yet too small in absolute

value to be properly represented in

the system.

unpolarised If the amplitude of the wave in plane

perpendicular to the direction of

propagation appears to be oriented in

all directions.

V

vagueness A property indicating the lack of

specics and clarity and which is

allied to imprecision and fuzziness.

varactor A reverse biased PN or Schottky

diode that uses the voltage variable

depletion region as a tuning element

or as a nonlinear frequency multiplier.

variance The mean-squared variability of a

random variable about its mean.

volatile Pertaining to a memory or storage

device that loses its storage

capability when power is removed.

voltage The potential to do work, voltage is

the ratio of the energy available to

the charge, expressed in volts.

voltmeter An instrument for measuring a

potential difference between different

points of an electrical circuit. Units

are volts.

W

wafer A thin slice of semiconductor material

on which semiconductor devices are

made. Also called a slice or

substrate.


X


watt Unit of power in the SI system of

units

wattmeter An instrument for measuring electric

power in watts. A wattmeter requires

connections to measure both the

current through and the voltage

across the load being measured.

wavelength A constant that describes the

distance a periodic wave must travel

in order to repeat itself.

whetstone The speed of a processor as

measured by the Whetstone

benchmark.

winding A conductive path, usually wire,

inductively coupled to a magnetic

core or cell.

X

X-ray Short wavelength electromagnetic

radiation; often considered to range

from about 0.1 to 100 A.

XOR Gate a logic gate that performs the

exclusive-OR function. Exclusive OR

is dened for two inputs as one or the

other being true but not both.

Y

Y connection A three-phase source or load which

is connected such that the elements

are connected in parallel and are

thus represented in a schematic

diagram in a Y or starshaped

conguration.

yield Percentage of acceptably good chips

to the total chips.

Z

zener diode Zener diode a pn-junction diode that

has an abrupt rise in current at a

reverse-bias voltage.

37 | P a g e

Section 2:

100 English

Vocabulary

building words

Section 2 | 100 English Vocabulary building words


a

b

er

ra

ti

o

n

aberration (n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).

abhor (v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).

acquiesce (v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)

alacrity (n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

amiable (adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)

appease (v.) to calm, satisfy

(When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate to appease him.)

arcane (adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Kashubian literature.)

avarice (n.) excessive greed (The bankers avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)

brazen (adj.) excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious (Critics condemned the writers brazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonkos work.)

brusque (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (Simons brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)

cajole (v.) to urge, coax (Magda's friends cajoled her into drinking too much.)

callous (adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderers callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)



c

a

n

d

or

candor (n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politicians speech because she is usually rather evasive.)

chide (v.) to voice disapproval (Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.)

circumspect (adj.) cautious (Though I promised Martas father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)

clandestine (adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the library, Maria actually went to meet George for a clandestine liaison.)

coerce (v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)

coherent (adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too

distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

complacency (n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)

confidant (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, he became my chief confidant.)

connive (v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new business.)

cumulative (adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent using the World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of English.)

debase (v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.)

decry (v.) to criticize openly (Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self



d

ef

er

e

nt

ia

l

Defence party decried the appaling state of Polish roads.)

deferential (adj.) showing respect for anothers authority (Donata is always excessively deferential to any kind of authority figure.)

demure (adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)

deride (v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The native speaker often derided the other teachers accent.)

despot (n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)

diligent (adj.) showing care in doing ones work (The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.)

elated (adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)

eloquent (adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The best man gave such an eloquent speech that most guests were crying.)

embezzle (v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling 10,000 of the companys funds.)

empathy (n.) sensitivity to anothers feelings as if they were ones own (I feel such empathy for my dog when shes upset so am I!)

enmity (n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)

erudite (adj.) learned (My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.)

extol (v.) to praise, revere (Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving boyfriend.)



fa

br

ic

at

e

fabricate (v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.)

feral (adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)

flabbergasted (adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

forsake (v.) to give up, renounce (I won't forsake my conservative principles.)

fractious (adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasnt tired, his fractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)

furtive (adj.) secretive, sly (Claudias placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)

gluttony (n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Helens fried chicken tastes so divine, I dont know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)

gratuitous (adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)

haughty (adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstars haughty dismissal of her co-stars will backfire on her someday.)

hypocrisy (n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)

impeccable (adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your brothers, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)

impertinent (adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I dont wish to dignify them with an answer.)



i

m

pl

a

c

a

bl

e

implacable (adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandmothers cooking, she is totally implacable.)

impudent (adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young woman looked her teacher up and down and told him he was hot.)

incisive (adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasnt going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

indolent (adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who cant even pick themselves up off the sofa to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to Burger King?)

inept (adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot two orders and spilled a pint of cider in a customers lap.)

infamy (n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as time passes.)

inhibit (v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)

innate (adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.)

insatiable (adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for blondes was a real problem on my recent holiday in Japan!)

insular (adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for MI5 must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)

intrepid (adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

inveterate (adj.) stubbornly established by habit (Im the first to admit that Im an inveterate cider drinkerI drink four pints a day.)



ju

bi

la

nt

jubilant (adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

knell (n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell made the grey day even more grim.)

lithe (adj.) graceful, flexible, supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding, Joannas control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)

lurid (adj.) ghastly, sensational (Barrys story, in which he described a character torturing his neighbour's tortoise, was judged too lurid to be published on the English Library's website.)

maverick (n.) an independent, nonconformist person (John is a real maverick and always does things his own way.)

maxim (n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Ms. Stones etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.)

meticulous (adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the brides gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)

modicum (n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Magda announced her bosss affair to the entire office.)

morose (adj.) gloomy or sullen (Davids morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)

myriad (adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do on Saturday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

nadir (n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when my new car was stolen.)

nominal (adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Kim sold everything for a nominal price.)



n

o

vi

c

e

novice (n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all novices at archery, our instructor decided to begin with the basics

nuance (n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the teacher was able to point them out.)

oblivious (adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.)

obsequious (adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Donald acted like Susans servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)

obtuse (adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime ministers obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

panacea (n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not.)

parody (n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Magdalena acting out a parody of his teaching style.)

penchant (n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Fionas dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Indian dishes.)

perusal (n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a three-month perusal of the movie script.)

plethora (n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

predilection (n.) a preference or inclination for something (James has a predilection for eating toad in the whole with tomato ketchup.)



q

u

ai

nt

quaint (adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Mary was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Romania.)

rash (adj.) hasty, incautious (Its best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions.)

refurbish (v.) to restore, clean up (After being refurbished the old Triumph motorcycle commanded the handsome price of $6000.)

repudiate (v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Tom made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)

rife (adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the teachers writing was rife with spelling errors.)

salient (adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Helen is that Alison is a couple of kilos heavier.)

serendipity (n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Mark found a $50 bill on the back seat of the bus.)

staid (adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)

superfluous (adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Samantha had already won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was superfluous.)

sycophant (n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the Prime Ministers closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)

taciturn (adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Magda never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)

truculent (adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesnt really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent?)



u

m

br

a

g

e

umbrage (n.) resentment, offence (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult.)

venerable (adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement (The venerable High Court judge had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)

vex (v.) to confuse or annoy (My boyfriend vexes me by pinching my bottom for hours on end.)

vociferous (adj.) loud, boisterous (Im tired of his vociferous whining so Im breaking up with him.)

wanton (adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Joannas wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)

zenith (n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Emily that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one top 10 hit of hers.)


Section 3:

Word

synonyms and

antonyms

Section 3 | Word synonyms and antonyms

Words | Synonyms | Antonyms


Adjacent Nearby, neighbouring Faraway, distant, remote

Alight Dismount, descend, land Mount, ascend, board

Alliance Pact, league, coalition Rift, split

Anecdote Tale, story, sketch, vignette

Appurtenances

Animated Energetic, vigorous Dull, lifeless, dead, flat

Answer Question Respond

Available Obtainable, at hand Unobtainable, not to be had

Barren Unproductive, sterile, arid Fertile, productive, fruitful

Bewilder Baffle, perplex Set straight, enlighten

Buffoon Jester, fool Tragedian

Cater Pamper, indulge, provide Frustrate, deny, refuse

Consolidate Strengthen, firm up, merge

Scatter, disperse, dissipate

Controversial Arguable, debatable Undisputed

Counterfeit False, phony, bogus Genuine, real, authentic

Culminate Conclude, terminate Begin, initiate, commence

Customary Regular, normal, traditional

Strange, odd, unusual

Disrupt Upset, displace, disorder Organize, arrange




Dissuade Discourage, talk out of Persuade, talk into

Docile Manageable, teachable Unruly, wayward, disobedient

Dominate Control, govern, overlook Surrender

Drone Bum, do-nothing Hard worker, workaholic

Dry Arid Wet

Dynasty Ruling house, regime Democracy

Entreat Plead, beseech Clamour for

Fallible Imperfect, errant Fool proof, unfailing, flawless

Fickle Capricious, faithless Constant, steady, invariable

Firebrand Hothead, agitator Pacifier, conciliator

Foe Enemy Friend

Foggy Hazy Clear

Foretaste Preview, anticipation Progeny

Fruitless Useless, unproductive, futile

Productive, effective

Fugitive Runaway, deserter, elusive

Lasting, enduring, permanent

Gaudy Understated Garish

Germinate Sprout, shoot up, grow Wither, die, stagnate




Goad Prod, spur-on, incite Curb, check, restrain

Grimy Filthy, sooty, soiled Spotless, immaculate

Hazard Danger Protection

Homicide Manslaughter, murder Birth

Hostile None Friendly, cordial, peaceful

Humdrum Uneventful, boring Lively, exciting, thrilling

Hurtle Speed, fly, race, catapult Crawl, creep

Indifference Apathy, unconcern Interest, concern, enthusiasm

Indignant Offended, resentful, outraged,

Pleased, delighted, overjoyed

Indispensable Essential, vital, concern Unnecessary, nonessential

Indulge Oblige, humour, coddle Deny, refuse

Inflammable Combustible, excitable Fireproof, fire-resistant, calm

Inflict Deal out, visit upon Suffer, undergo, sustain

Insinuate Imply, intimate Barge in, broadcast

Interminable Never-ending, ceaseless Brief, short, fleeting

Interrogate Question, query Respond

Iota Speck, dab, jot, bit, smidgen

Flood, deluge, glut




Literate Educated, trained Unschooled, ignorant

Lose Misplace Find

Lubricate Oil, grease Dry

Lustre Gloss, sheen, shine Tarnish, dullness

Malignant Lethal, wicked Wholesome, beneficial

Maul Rough up, manhandle, batter

Guard

Miscellaneous Varied, assorted, motley Identical, uniform

Mortify Humiliate, embarrass, abash

Honour

Mutual Two-sided, joint, shared One-sided, unilateral

Orthodox Traditional, standard Unusual, uncongenial

Peevish Crabby, cranky, testy Agreeable, amiable

Pelt Bombard, shower, pepper

Damp, dew

Plague Epidemic, pestilence Boon, blessing

Poised Self-confident, ready Nervous, tense

Potential Possibility, capability Actual, real, impossible

Procure Gain, acquire, achieve Abandon, lose

Radiant Glowing, brilliant, dazzling

Dull, tarnished, lacklustre




Recompense Repay Receive

Regime Administration, rule Commotion

Renovate Repair, fix up, recondition Annihilate

Resume Continue Stop

Retard Slow down, restrain, impede

Hasten, speed up

Rural Countrified, rustic Urban, metropolitan, citified

Scurry Rush, dash, scramble Trudge, plod, creep, crawl

Seethe Peaceful Chaotic

Singe Scorch, scar, sear Incinerate

Sodden Drenched, saturated Parched, arid

Spirited Lively, animated, gallant Lifeless, dull, lacklustre

Substantial Considerable, tangible, big

Minor, insignificant

Sullen Grumpy, surly, remote Cheerful, blithe, sociable

Tactful Skilful, diplomatic, discreet

Clumsy, gauche, boorish

Tamper Fool with, mess with Expound, smother

Thrilled Excited Depressed

Transparent Clear, translucent, obvious

Frosted, sooty, smoky, unclear




Trickle Dribble, drizzle, drip Rush, pour, flood

Trivial Insignificant, petty, trifling Important, weighty

Truce Cease-fire, armistice War, warfare, fighting

Ultimate Farthest, furthest, terminal

First, initial, most immediate

Uncertainty Doubtfulness, hesitation Sureness, certainty

Unique Unparalleled, distinctive Ordinary, commonplace

Unscathed Unhurt, sound, intact Injured, damaged, harmed

Upright Perpendicular, virtuous Dishonest, corrupt

Verify Prove, validate, substantiate

Disprove, refute, discredit

Vicious Wicked, malicious, savage

Good, kind, kindly, harmless

Virtual Functioning as, equivalent to

Factual, real

Void Invalid, vacant, bare In effect, teeming with

Wayward Perverse Docile, well-behaved

Wince Flinch, shudder, recoil Languish

Zenith Acme, apogee, pinnacle Nadir


Section 4:

Word Families

Section 4 | Word Families

Words | Families


ack attack, back, black, crack, hack, hack, knack, lack, pack, quack, rack, sack

ad ad, bad, brad, cad, clad, dad, doodad, glad, had, lad, mad, pad

age age, cage, engage, rage, sage, stage, wage

ail ail, fail, hail, jail, mail, nail, pail, rail, sail, snail, tail, wail

ain brain, chain, complain, explain, gain, grain, main, obtain, pain, plain, rain, slain

ake awake, bake, brake, cake, fake, flake, Jake, lake, make, quake, rake, sake

ale ale, bale, dale, gale, kale, male, pale, sale, scale, stale, tale, whale

all all, ball, call, fall, gall, hall, install, mall, small, squall, stall, tall

am cam, clam, dam, dram, exam, gram, ham, jam, lam, ma'am, Pam, ram

ame blame, came, fame, flame, frame, game, lame, name, same, shame, tame, tame

an an, ban, bran, can, clan, Dan, fan, flan, Fran, Jan, Japan, man

ank bank, blank, crank, dank, drank, flank, frank, Hank, plank, prank, rank, sank

ap cap, clap, flap, gap, lap, map, nap, rap, sap, scrap, slap, snap

ar afar, bar, car, czar, far, gar, guitar, jar, mar, par, scar, spar

ash ash, bash, brash, cash, clash, crash, dash, flash, gash, gnash, hash, lash

at at, bat, brat, cat, chat, fat, flat, gnat, hat, mat, pat, rat

Section 4 | Word Families

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