# dict

Words: ruck
Meaning:
n \n  1 [C] a group of rugby players trying to get the ball when it is lying on the ground:\n  2  the ruck:   formal ordinary events or people, which seem rather boring compared to the lives of rich or famous people//  --Obtaining a good education was seen as a way out of the ruck.//\n  3 [singular] a group of people standing very closely together or fighting:\n  4 [C]  BrE  informal a fight:\nruck 2 v   ruck up phr v//  if a piece of cloth rucks up, or if you ruck it up, it forms folds in an untidy way//  ruck sth → up//  --Your coat’s all rucked up at the back.//


Words: rucksack
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: German; Origin: ’back sack’]//   especially BrE a bag used for carrying things on your back, especially by people on long walks//   backpack//


Words: ruckus
Meaning:
n [singular]   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Probably from  ruction  ’noisy quarrel’ (18-21 centuries) (perhaps from  insurrection) +  rumpus]//   informal  especially AmE a noisy argument or confused situation//   rumpus//


Words: ructions
Meaning:
n [plural]    informal  especially BrE angry talk and complaints because many people are annoyed about a situation//


Words: rudder
Meaning:
n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: rother]//  a flat part at the back of a ship or aircraft that can be turned in order to control the direction in which it moves//


Words: rudderless
Meaning:
adj   without someone to lead you or give you an aim or direction//  --a company left rudderless by the resignation of its CEO//


Words: ruddy
Meaning:
adj   [Language: Old English; Origin: rudig, from  rudu  ’redness’]//\n  1 a ruddy face looks pink and healthy:  → sallow//  --a ruddy complexion//  --ruddy cheeks//\n  2  literary red:  --The fire cast a ruddy glow over the room.//\n  3 [only before noun]  BrE  informal used to emphasize what you are saying, especially when you are annoyed with someone or something:   bloody, damn//  --I wish that ruddy dog would stop barking!//  -- ruddiness n  [U] //  -- ruddy adv //


Words: rude
Meaning:
adj   comparative  ruder superlative  rudest //  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin rudis  ’raw, rough’]//\n  1 speaking or behaving in a way that is not polite and is likely to offend or annoy people:   impolite//  → polite//  --a rude remark//  --I didn’t mean to be rude, but I had to leave early.//  rude to//  --Why are you so rude to her?//  it is rude to do sth//  --It’s rude to stare.//\n  2 rude jokes, words, songs etc are about sex:  American Equivalent:  dirty//\n  3  rude awakening/shock:  a situation in which you suddenly realize something unpleasant//  --If they expect the match to be friendly, then they are in for a rude awakening.//\n  4  in rude health:   BrE  old-fashioned very healthy//\n  5  literary made in a simple basic way:  --a rude wooden hut//  -- rudely adv //  --We were rudely awakened by the storm.//  --He answered me very rudely.//  -- rudeness n  [U] //


Words: rudimentary
Meaning:
adj \n  1 a rudimentary knowledge or understanding of a subject is very simple and basic:  → sophisticated//  --Gradually, I acquired a rudimentary knowledge of music.//  --my rudimentary German//\n  2 rudimentary equipment, methods, systems etc are very basic and not advanced:  --subsistence farming in its most rudimentary form //  --The classroom equipment is pretty rudimentary.//


Words: rudiments
Meaning:
n [plural]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: rudimentum  ’beginning’, from  rudis;   RUDE]//   formal the most basic parts of a subject, which you learn first//   basics//  rudiments of//  --the rudiments of windsurfing//


Words: Rudolph
Meaning:
the Red-nosed Reindeer   a character in a children’s Christmas song. Rudolph is a  reindeer (=a large grass-eating wild animal with large horns)  who has a shiny red nose. The other reindeer think his nose looks silly, but  Santa Claus asks him to help the other reindeer to pull his  sleigh on a  foggy night, because his bright nose helps them to see where they are going.//


Words: rue
Meaning:
v [T]   [Language: Old English; Origin: hreowan]//   literary to wish that you had not done something//   regret//  --She learned to rue the day she had met Henri.//


Words: rueful
Meaning:
adj   feeling or showing that you wish you had not done something//  --a rueful smile//  -- ruefully adv //  --He smiled ruefully.//


Words: ruff
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Probably from   RUFFLE1]//\n  1 a stiff circular white collar, worn in the 16th century:\n  2 a circle of feathers or fur around the neck of an animal or bird:


Words: ruffian
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French]//   old-fashioned a violent man, involved in crime//  --a gang of ruffians//  -- ruffianly adj //


Words: ruffle
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Perhaps copying the action]//\n  1  also ruffle sth → up :  to make a smooth surface uneven//  --He ruffled her hair affectionately.//  --A light wind ruffled the water.//\n  2 to offend or upset someone slightly:  --Louise’s sharp comments had ruffled his pride.//  ruffle sb’s feathers (=offend someone) //\nruffle 2 n [C]   a band of thin cloth sewn in folds as a decoration around the edge of something such as a collar//


Words: rug
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  From a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 a piece of thick cloth or wool that covers part of a floor, used for warmth or as a decoration:    mat, carpet//\n  2  BrE a large piece of material that you can wrap around yourself, especially when you are travelling:\n  3  pull the rug (out) from under sb/sb’s feet:   informal to suddenly take away something that someone was depending on to achieve what they wanted//\n  4 a toupee - used humorously:


Words: Rugby
Meaning:
a town in central England best known for the  public school (=expensive private school)  there called Rugby School, where the game of rugby was first played//


Words: rugby
Meaning:
W3S3   n  also rugby football  [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: Rugby School in England, where the game is said to have been invented]//  an outdoor game played by two teams with an oval (=egg-shaped)  ball that you kick or carry//


Words: rugged
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1200-1300; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 land that is rugged is rough and uneven:  --a rugged coastline//  --the rugged beauty of the Highlands//\n  2 a man who is rugged is good-looking and has strong features which are often not perfect:  --his rugged good looks//\n  3 a vehicle or piece of equipment that is rugged is strongly built and not likely to break easily:   sturdy//\n  4 rugged behaviour is confident and determined but not always polite:  --rugged individualism//  -- ruggedly adv -- ruggedness n  [U] //


Words: Rugrats
Meaning:
a children’s  cartoon shown on television, about a group of very young children in the US. They all play together, and they always imagine they are involved in exciting adventures, even though they are really doing ordinary activities.//


Words: ruin
Meaning:
S3   v [T] \n  1 to spoil or destroy something completely:  --This illness has ruined my life.//  --His career would be ruined.//  --All this mud’s going to ruin my shoes. see usage note  destroy//\n  2 to make someone lose all their money:  --Jefferson was ruined by the lawsuit.//    ruined//\nruin 2 n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: ruine, from  Latin ruina]//\n  1 [U] a situation in which you have lost all your money, your social position, or the good opinion that people had about you:  --small businesses facing financial ruin //  be on the road to ruin (=be doing something that will make you lose your money, position etc) //\n  2 [C]  also ruins :  the part of a building that is left after the rest has been destroyed//  --an interesting old ruin//  --the ruins of a bombed-out office block//\n  3  the ruins of sth:  the parts of something such as an organization, system, or set of ideas that remain after the rest have been destroyed//  --the ruins of a government that once held so much promise//\n  4  be/lie in ruins:  a) if a building is in ruins, it has fallen down or been badly damaged//  b) if someone’s life, a country’s  economy etc is in ruins, it is affected by very great problems//  --Her marriage was in ruins.//\n  5  fall into ruin:   also go to ruin //  if something goes to ruin, it gets damaged or destroyed because no one is taking care of it//  --He had let the farm go to ruin.//\n  6  be the ruin of sb:  to make someone lose all their money, their good health, the good opinion that other people have of them etc//  --Drinking was the ruin of him.//    go to rack and ruin at rack1 (4)//


Words: ruination
Meaning:
n [U]  old-fashioned   a process in which someone or something is ruined, or the cause of this - often used humorously//


Words: ruined
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   a ruined building has been almost completely destroyed//  --a ruined castle//    ruin2 //


Words: ruinous
Meaning:
adj \n  1 causing a lot of damage or problems:  --a ruinous civil war//\n  2 costing much more than you can afford:  --ruinous rates of interest//\n  3  formal a building that is ruinous has been almost completely destroyed:   ruined//  --an old ruinous chapel//  ruinous state/condition //  --the ruinous state of the city walls//  -- ruinously adv //  --ruinously expensive//


Words: rule
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 instruction:\n   2 advice:\n   3 normal/usual:\n   4 government:\n   5 grammar/science etc:\n   6 the rule of law:\n   7 the rules of natural justice:\n   8 rule of thumb:\n   9 make it a rule (to do something):\n  10 for measuring:  ----------//  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: reule, from  Latin regula;   REGULAR1]//\n  1 INSTRUCTION:   [C] an official instruction that says how things must be done or what is allowed, especially in a game, organization, or job//    law, regulation//  rule of//  --The rules of the game are quite simple.//  -- The  rules  are less  strict  in the local county court. //  --If you  break the rules,  it just spoils the whole game. //  -- You have to  follow the rules  precisely in order to lose weight fast. //  -- her refusal to  comply with  the club  rules  //  -- We might be able to  bend the rules  just this one time. //  -- The point of having the European Union is to make everybody  play by the rules . //  --Is it  against the rules  to talk?//  -- Under the rules of  the International Cycling union, an eight day delay is allowed.//  --It is not a crime, though it is a  breach of  stock market rules .//  -- Rules are rules  and it’s my duty to enforce them. //  -- I’m sick of all their petty  rules and regulations.  //  --School rules required all girls to tie back their hair.//\n  2 ADVICE:   [C] what you should do in a particular situation, or a statement about this//  --There are no hard and fast rules  (=clear and definite rules) about what to wear to classes.//  rule of//  --There are two basic rules of survival.//  --widespread acceptance of certain rules of conduct //  --One of these unwritten rules is that parents should play with their children.//  -- The rule is : if you feel any pain you should stop exercising immediately.//\n  3 NORMAL/USUAL:   [singular] something that is normal or usually true//  as a (general) rule//  --As a general rule most students finish their coursework by the end of May.//  --Early marriage used to be the rule in that part of the world.//  --A series of payments used to be the exception rather than the rule .//  --Unfortunately there is an exception to every rule .//\n  4 GOVERNMENT:   [U] the government of a country or area by a particular group of people or using a particular system//  under ... rule//  --people living under communist rule//  --the end of colonial rule //  --a period of military rule //  -- direct rule from Westminster//  --the restoration of majority rule  (=government by the party that most people have voted for) to Northern Ireland//\n  5 GRAMMAR/SCIENCE ETC:   [C] a statement about what is usually allowed in a particular system, such as the grammar of a language, or a science//  rule of//  --the rules of English punctuation//\n  6  the rule of law:  a situation in which the laws of a country are obeyed//  --We are here to uphold the rule of law.//\n  7  the rules of natural justice:  what people believe to be right and fair//  --The governor failed to observe the rules of natural justice.//\n  8  rule of thumb:  a rough figure or method of calculation, based on practical experience//  --As a general rule of thumb, children this age should not spend more than one hour on homework.//\n  9  make it a rule (to do sth):  to try to make sure that you always do something//  --I make it a rule never to mix business with pleasure.//\n  10 FOR MEASURING:   [C]  old-fashioned a ruler//    golden rule,  ground rules,  home rule,  slide rule//    work to rule at work1 (32)//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  strict rule //  unwritten/unspoken rule  (=an unofficial rule that everyone knows about) //  break a rule  (=not obey a rule) //  follow/obey/observe the rules //  comply with the rules (=obey the rules) //  bend/stretch the rules  (=do something that is not normally allowed) //  play by the rules  (=do what is expected and agreed) //  against the rules  (=not allowed) //  under the rules (of something)  (=according to a particular set of rules) //  breach of the rules  (=when someone does not obey the rules) //  rules are rules  (=used when you are saying that a rule cannot be broken) //  rules and regulations //  ----------//\nrule 2 v   ----------//\n   1 government:\n   2 control/influence:\n   3 court/law:\n   4 rule the roost:\n   5 rule somebody/something with a rod of iron:\n   5 rule somebody with an iron fist/hand:\n   6 somebody/something rules:\n   7 draw a line:  Phrasal verbs//   rule something/somebody → out//  ----------//\n  1 GOVERNMENT:   [I and T] to have the official power to control a country and the people who live there//    govern//  --Queen Victoria ruled England for 64 years.//  --African tribal societies were traditionally ruled by a council of elders.//  rule over//  --Alexander the Great ruled over a huge empire.//  --He announced that henceforth he would rule by decree  (=make all the important decisions himself) .//\n  2 CONTROL/INFLUENCE:   [T] if a feeling or desire rules someone, it has a powerful and controlling influence on their actions//  --the passion for power and success which rules her life //\n  3 COURT/LAW:   [>I always + adv/prep, T] to make an official decision about something, especially a legal problem//    decree//  rule that//  --The judge ruled that she should have custody of the children.//  rule on//  --The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the case.//  rule in favour of/against sb/sth//  --The tribunal ruled in her favour.//  be ruled illegal/unlawful etc //  --This part of the bill was ruled unconstitutional.//    ruling1 //\n  4  rule the roost:   informal to be the most powerful person in a group//  --It’s his wife who rules the roost in their house.//\n  5  rule sb/sth with a rod of iron:   also  rule sb with an iron fist/hand//  to control a group of people in a very severe way//  --Although he was a fair man, he ruled us with an iron fist.//\n  6  sb/sth rules:   informal used to say that the team, school, place etc mentioned is better than any other//  --Arsenal rules OK. BrE//  --graffiti saying ’Poheny High rules’//\n  7 DRAW A LINE:   [T] to draw a line using a ruler or other straight edge//  --Rule a line under each answer.//    overrule,  let your heart rule your head at heart(2)//  rule out [rule sth/sb → out] phr v//\n  1 to decide that something is not possible or suitable:  --The police have ruled out suicide.//  --She has refused to rule out the possibility of singing again.//\n  2 to make it impossible for something to happen:  --The mountainous terrain rules out most forms of agriculture.//\n  3 to state that someone will not be able to take part in a sports event:  rule something/somebody → out of//  --He has been ruled out of the match with a knee injury.//


Words: Rule Britannia
Meaning:
a song about the power Britain used to have at sea because of its navy, which people sing on  patriotic occasions, such as the  Last Night of the Proms. Some of the words are: Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves,/Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.//


Words: rulebook
Meaning:
n \n  1  go by the rulebook:   informal to obey exactly the rules about how something should be done//  --If I went by the rulebook, I’d have to report this conversation.//\n  2 [C] a book of rules, especially one that is given to workers in a job:


Words: ruler
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 someone such as a king or queen who has official power over a country or area:  2 a long flat straight piece of plastic, metal, or wood that you use for measuring things or drawing straight lines//  --a 12-inch ruler//


Words: ruling
Meaning:
n [C]   an official decision, especially one made by a court//  ruling on//  --the recent Supreme Court ruling on defendants’ rights//\nruling 2 adj [only before noun] \n  1 the ruling group in a country or organization is the group that controls it:  --A ruling class clearly existed.//  --the ruling body of American golf//\n  2 a ruling interest or emotion interests someone more than anything else:  --Football remains the ruling passion of many men.//


Words: rum
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  Probably from  rumbullion  ’rum’ (1600-1700)]//  a strong alcoholic drink made from sugar, or a glass of this drink//\nrum 2 adj  old-fashioned   unusual or strange//


Words: rumba
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: American Spanish]//  a popular dance from Cuba, or music for this dance//


Words: rumble
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Probably from early  Dutch rommelen, from the sound]//\n  1 [I] to make a series of long low sounds, especially a long distance away from you:  --We could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.//\n  2 [I always + adverb/preposition] to move slowly along while making a series of long low sounds:  --We watched the tanks rumbling past the window.//\n  3 [I] if your stomach rumbles, it makes a noise, especially because you are hungry:\n  4 [T]  BrE  informal to find out what someone is secretly intending to do:  --How did you rumble them?//\n  5 [I and T]  AmE  old-fashioned to fight with someone:  rumble on phr v//  if a disagreement rumbles on, it continues for a long time//  --The row about pay is still rumbling on.//\nrumble 2 n [singular]   a series of long low sounds//  rumble of//  --the low rumble of traffic in the distance//  --the distant rumble of gunfire//


Words: rumble strip
Meaning:
n [C]   a number of raised lines across a road which make a loud noise when you drive over them to warn you to slow down//


Words: rumbling
Meaning:
n \n  1  rumblings [plural] remarks that show that people are starting to become annoyed, or that a difficult situation is developing:  --rumblings of discontent//  --There have been rumblings about the need for better computers.//\n  2 [C usually singular] a series of long low sounds:  --We heard a rumbling behind us.//


Words: rumbustious
Meaning:
adj   full of energy, fun, and noise//  American Equivalent:  rambunctious//  --rumbustious football fans//


Words: ruminate
Meaning:
v [I]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: , past participle of  ruminare, from  rumen  ’throat’]//\n  1  formal to think carefully and deeply about something:  ruminate on/over//  --He sat alone, ruminating on the injustice of the world.//\n  2  technical if animals such as cows ruminate, they bring food back into their mouths from their stomachs and chew it again:  -- rumination/ru[hA359]m[hA369]ne[hA366][hA35D][hA368]n/ n  [U and C] //


Words: ruminative
Meaning:
adj  formal   thinking deeply and carefully about something//  --a typically ruminative speech//  -- ruminatively adv //


Words: rummage
Meaning:
preposition]    also rummage around/about //  to search for something by moving things around in a careless or hurried way//  rummage in/through etc//  --Looks like someone’s been rummaging around in my desk.//\nrummage 2 n   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: arrimage  ’arranging the load in a ship’]//\n  1 [C usually singular]  informal a careless or hurried search for something:  -- Have a rummage in my jewellery box and see if you can find something you like.//\n  2 [U]  especially AmE old clothes, toys etc that you no longer want:  British Equivalent:  jumble//


Words: rummage sale
Meaning:
n [C]    AmE an event at which old clothes, toys etc are sold as a way of getting money, for example to help a school or church//  British Equivalent:  jumble sale//


Words: rummy
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Perhaps from  rummy  ’strange’ (19-20 centuries), from  rum  ’strange’ (18-21 centuries), probably from  rome  ’excellent’ (16-19 centuries)]//  a simple card game in which players try to collect series of cards//


Words: rumour
Meaning:
BrE  rumor AmE   n [U and C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: rumour, from  Latin rumor]//\n  1 information or a story that is passed from one person to another and which may or may not be true:  rumour about/of//  --I’ve heard all sorts of rumours about him and his secretary.//  rumour that//  --There’s an unsubstantiated rumour that Eddie’s bankrupt.//  -- Rumour has it that Jean’s getting married again.//  --Where did the rumour start?//  a rumour spreads/goes around //  --A malicious rumour went round that Philip had something to do with the murder.//\n  2  the rumour mill:  the people, considered as a group, who discuss something and pass rumours to each other//  --His name has come up in the rumour mill as a possible director for the project.//


Words: rumoured
Meaning:
BrE  rumored AmE   v   be rumoured//  if something is rumoured to be true, people are saying secretly or unofficially that it may be true//    alleged//  it is rumoured that//  --It was rumoured that Johnson had been poisoned.//  be rumoured to be sth//  --She was rumoured to be a millionaire.//  --a young man widely rumoured to be her lover//


Words: rump
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  From a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 [C] the part of an animal’s back that is just above its legs:\n  2  rump steak:  good quality meat that comes from the rump of a cow//\n  3 [C] the part of your body that you sit on - used humorously:   bottom//\n  4 [singular]  BrE the part of a group or government that remains after most of the other members have left:


Words: Rumpelstiltskin
Meaning:
the main character in a story called  Rumpelstiltskin by Jacob and Wilhelm  Grimm. Rumpelstiltskin is an ugly  dwarf (=a creature like a very small man)  who teaches a young girl how to make  straw into gold thread by using a  spinning wheel. As a reward for teaching her this, he says she must give him her first child. She becomes queen and has a child, but Rumpelstiltskin says he will not take her child if she can discover what his name is within three days. By chance a servant hears him saying his name, and when the girl tells him what it is, he gets so angry that he dies.//


Words: rumple
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Dutch; Origin: rompelen]//  to make hair, clothes etc less tidy//  --He rumpled her hair playfully.//  -- rumpled adj //  --the slightly rumpled bed//  --a rumpled linen suit//


Words: rumpus
Meaning:
n [singular]   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin:  Perhaps from  rumble]//   informal a lot of noise, especially made by people quarrelling//  --There’s a real rumpus going on upstairs.//


Words: run
Meaning:
v   past tense  ran /r[zB024]n///  past participle  run //  present participle  running //  ----------//\n   1 move quickly using your legs:\n   2 race:\n   3 organize/be in charge of :\n   4 do something/go somewhere quickly:\n   5 buses/trains etc:\n   6 computers:\n   7 machine/engine:\n   8 tape:\n   9 newspaper/television:\n  10 fast/out of control:\n  11 use a vehicle:\n  12 take somebody in your car:\n  13 in an election:\n  14 something long:\n  15 move something on a surface:\n  16 flow:\n  17 tap:\n  18 run a bath:\n  19 somebody’s nose:\n  20 official papers:\n  21 play/film:\n  22 happen:\n  23 amount/price:\n  24 story/account etc:\n  25 run its course:\n  26 something will run and run:\n  27 thoughts/feelings:\n  28 run high:\n  29 run somebody’s life:\n  30 run for cover:\n  31 colour in clothes:\n  32 paint/ink:\n  33 run a check/test/experiment etc:\n  34 hole in clothes:\n  35 run drugs/guns:\n  36 run in the family:\n  37 run a temperature/fever:\n  38 run a mile:\n  39 run late/early/on time:\n  40 be running scared:\n  41 come running:\n  42 run your eyes over/along etc something:\n  43 run before you can walk:\n  44 run a (red) light:  Phrasal verbs//   run across somebody/something//   run after somebody/something//   run along//   run around//   run around after somebody//   run around with somebody//   run away//   run away with somebody/something//   run something by/past somebody//   run down//   run somebody/something → in//   run into somebody/something//   run off//   run off with somebody/something//   run on//   run out//   run out on somebody//   run over//   run something past somebody//   run round//   run through//   run to somebody/something//   run up something//   run up against something/somebody//   run with something//  ----------//  [Language: Old English; Origin: rinnan]//\n  1 MOVE QUICKLY USING YOUR LEGS:  a)  [I] to move very quickly, by moving your legs more quickly than when you walk//  run down/up/to/towards etc//  --I ran down the stairs as fast as I could.//  --He was running towards the door.//  --She turned and ran away.//  --The boys ran off into the crowd. //  run to do sth//  --Several people ran to help her when she fell.//  --The children came running out of the house.//  --Women  ran screaming , with children in their arms.//  --Jane struggled free and ran for her life  (=ran in order to avoid being killed) .//  --Hurry! Run for it  (=run as quickly as possible in order to escape) !//  --He picked up the child and ran like hell .not polite (=ran very quickly, especially in order to escape) //  b)  [T] to run a particular distance//  --Firefighters are to run 500km to raise money for a children’s charity.//  --He ran the length of the corridor.//\n  2 RACE:  a)  [I and T] to run in a race//  --I’d never run a marathon before.//  run in//  --Murray has said she will consider running in the 3000 metres.//  b)  [T usually passive] if a race is run at a particular time or in a particular place, it happens at that time or in that place//  --The Derby will be run at 3 o’clock.//\n  3 ORGANIZE/BE IN CHARGE OF :   [T] to organize or be in charge of an activity, business, organization, or country//  --For a while, she ran a restaurant in Boston.//  --Many people don’t care who runs the country.//  --Courses are currently being run in London and Edinburgh.//  --Many people belong to a pension scheme run by their employers.//  well/badly run //  --The hotel is well-run and extremely popular.//  --a state-run  (=controlled by the government) television station see usage note  control2 //\n  4 DO SOMETHING/GO SOMEWHERE QUICKLY:   [I] to do something or go somewhere quickly//  --Run and ask your mother where she’s put the keys.//  run to//  --I need to run to the store for some more milk.//\n  5 BUSES/TRAINS ETC:  a)  [I] if a bus, train etc service runs, it takes people from one place to another at fixed times//  --The buses don’t run on Sundays.//  run to//  --The number 61 bus runs to the city centre.//  b)  [T] if a company or other organization runs a bus, train etc service, they make it operate//  --They’re running special trains to and from the exhibition.//\n  6 COMPUTERS:  a)  [I] if a computer program runs, it operates //  run on//  --The software will run on any PC.//  b)  [T] if you run a program, you make it operate//  --The RS8 system runs both Unix and MPX-32.//\n  7 MACHINE/ENGINE:  a)  [I] if a machine or engine runs, it operates//  --She got out of the car and left the engine running.//  run on electricity/gas/petrol etc (=get its power from electricity etc) //  --Most cars run on unleaded fuel.//  run off sth//   (=use something for power) //  --It runs off batteries.//  b)  [T] if you run a machine or engine, you make it operate//  --You shouldn’t  keep the engine running  when the car is standing still.//  --I often run the washing machine more than once a day.//\n  8 TAPE:  a)  [I usually progressive] if a tape is running, it is recording//  --She didn’t realize the tape was running as she spoke.//  b)  [T] if you run a tape, you make it move backwards or forwards//  --Run the tape back to the beginning.//\n  9 NEWSPAPER/TELEVISION:  a)  [T] to print something in a newspaper or magazine, or broadcast something on television//  --The company is running a series of advertisements in national newspapers.//  --A local TV station ran her story.//  b)  [I] if a program runs on television, it is shown. If a story runs in a newspaper or magazine, it is printed//  --The series ran for 20 episodes and was extremely popular.//  --Conan Doyle’s stories ran in ’The Strand’ magazine.//\n  10 FAST/OUT OF CONTROL:   [I always + adverb/preposition] to move too fast or in an uncontrolled way//  --Her car ran off the road and into a tree.//  --The truck  ran out of control  and hit a house.//\n  11 USE A VEHICLE:   [T]  especially BrE to own and use a vehicle//  --I can’t afford to run a car.//  --A bicycle is relatively cheap to buy and run.//\n  12 TAKE SOMEBODY IN YOUR CAR:   [T always + adverb/preposition]  informal to take someone somewhere in your car//   drive//  --Shall I run you home?//  run sb to sth//  --Let me run you to the station.//\n  13 IN AN ELECTION:   [I]  especially AmE to try to be elected in an election//  British Equivalent:  stand//  run for//  --Salinas is running for a second term as President.//  --an attempt to encourage more women to run for office //  run against//  --Feinstein will win if she runs against Lungren.//\n  14 SOMETHING LONG:   [I,T always + adverb/preposition] if something long such as a road or wire runs in a particular direction, that is its position, or that is where you put it//  --The road runs along a valley.//  --Developers want to run a road right through his farm.//  --Run the cables under the carpet.//  --The Sierra mountain range runs the length of the north west coast of Majorca.//\n  15 MOVE SOMETHING ON A SURFACE:   [T always + adverb/preposition] to move something lightly along a surface//  --Charles ran his fingers through her hair.//  --Run the scanner over the barcodes.//\n  16 FLOW:   [I always + adverb/preposition] to flow in a particular direction or place//  --Tears started to run down her cheeks.//  --Water was running off the roof.//\n  17 TAP:   [I and T] if a tap is running, water is coming out of it, or if you run a tap, you make water come out of it//  --Did you leave the tap running?//  --He ran the tap until the water was really hot.//\n  18  run a bath:  to fill a bath with water//  --I could hear her running a bath upstairs.//  run sb a bath//  --Could you run me a nice hot bath while I finish my meal?//\n  19 SOMEBODY’S NOSE:   [I] if someone’s nose is running, liquid is flowing out of it//\n  20 OFFICIAL PAPERS:   [I] if something runs for a particular length of time, it can officially be used for that time//  --The contract runs for a year.//  --My car insurance only has another month to run.//\n  21 PLAY/FILM:   [I] to continue being performed regularly in one place//  --The play ran for two years.//\n  22 HAPPEN:   [I] to happen in a particular way or at a particular time//  --Andy kept things running smoothly  (=happening in the way they should) while I was away.//  --He was given a further three month prison sentence to run concurrently.//  --The course runs over a three year period.//\n  23 AMOUNT/PRICE:   [I] to be at a particular level, amount, or price//  run at//  --Inflation was running at 5%.//  run to//  --The cost of repairing the damage could run to $5000.//\n  24 STORY/ACCOUNT ETC:   [I and T] if a story, discussion etc runs in a particular way, it has those particular words or events//  --The story runs that someone offered Lynch a further $500.//  --’President’s marriage really over’ ran the headline in a national newspaper.//\n  25  run its course:  if something runs its course, it continues in the way you expect until it has finished//  --Recession in the country has run its course and left an aftermath of uncertainty.//\n  26  sth will run and run:   BrE if a subject, discussion, event etc will run and run, people will continue to be interested in it for a long time//  --This a story that will run and run.//\n  27 THOUGHTS/FEELINGS:   [I always + adverb/preposition] if a feeling runs through you, or a thought runs through your mind, you feel it or think it quickly//  run through/down//  --A feeling of excitement ran through her body as they touched.//  --The same thought kept running through his mind.//  --A cold shiver ran down my back.//  --I felt a sharp pain run down my leg.//\n  28  run high:  if feelings run high, people are very angry, upset, excited etc//  --Tension ran high and fights broke out among the crowd.//  --Feelings have been running high in the town, following the murder of a young girl.//\n  29  run sb’s life:   informal to keep telling someone what they should do all the time, in a way that annoys them//  --Don’t try to run my life!//\n  30  run for cover:  a) to run towards a place where you will be safe, especially to avoid bullets//  --He was shot in the leg as he ran for cover.//  b) to try to protect yourself from a bad situation or from being criticized//  --His success at backing winning horses has had the bookmakers running for cover.//\n  31 COLOUR IN CLOTHES:   [I] if colour runs, it spreads from one piece of clothing or one area of cloth to another when the clothes are wet//  --The T-shirt ran and made all my other clothes pink.//\n  32 PAINT/INK:   [I] if paint runs, it moves onto an area where you did not intend it to go//\n  33  run a check/test/experiment etc:  to arrange for someone or something to be checked or tested//  run a check/test/experiment etc on//  --Ask your doctor to run a test on your blood sugar levels.//\n  34 HOLE IN CLOTHES:   [I] if a hole in tights or stockings runs, it gets bigger in a straight line//\n  35  run drugs/guns:  to bring drugs or guns into a country illegally in order to sell them//    drug runner,  gun-running//\n  36  run in the family:  if something such as a quality, disease, or skill runs in the family, many people in that family have it//  --Diabetes appears to run in families.//\n  37  run a temperature/fever:  to have a body temperature that is higher than normal, because you are ill//\n  38  run a mile:   informal to try very hard to avoid a particular situation or person because you do not want to deal with them//  --If someone asked me to marry them, I’d probably run a mile.//\n  39  run late/early/on time:  to arrive, go somewhere, or do something late, early, or at the right time//  --I’m running late, so I’ll talk to you later.//  --If the train runs on time, we’ll be there by ten.//\n  40  be running scared:  to feel worried because someone who you are competing against is becoming very successful or powerful//  --The party are running scared.//\n  41  come running:  a)  informal to react in a very eager way when someone asks or tells you to do something//  --He thinks he’s only got to look at me and I’ll come running.//  b)  especially spoken to ask someone for help, advice, or sympathy when you have a problem//  come running to//  --Well I warned you, so don’t come running to me when it all goes wrong!//\n  42  run your eyes over/along etc sth:  to look quickly at something//  --He ran his eyes along the books on the shelf.//\n  43  run before you can walk:  to try to do something difficult before you have learned the basic skills you need//  --A lot of language students want to run before they can walk.//\n  44  run a (red) light:   informal to drive quickly through a red traffic light instead of stopping//    running1 //    cut and run at cut1 (38)//    be/run/go counter to sth at counter3 //    run deep at deep2 (4)//    run dry at dry1 (4)//    run low at low1 (4)//    run sb ragged at ragged(5)//    run rings around sb at ring1 (8)//    run riot at riot1 (2)//    be running short at short2 (2)//    run sb/sth to earth at earth1 (14)//    run to fat at fat2 (6)//    run sb/sth to ground at ground1 (19)//    run to seed at seed1 (4)//    run wild at wild2 (1)//    be up and running at up1 (22)//  run across / [run across sb/sth] phr v//  to meet someone or find something by chance//  --I ran across him at a conference in Milan.//  --I ran across some old love letters while I was clearing out a cupboard.//  run after / [run after sb/sth] phr v//\n  1 to chase someone or something:  --He ran after her, calling her name.//\n  2  informal to try to start a sexual relationship with someone:  --He’s always running after younger women.//\n  3  spoken to do a lot of things for someone else as though you were their servant:  --I can’t keep running after you all day!//  run along phr v//  used to tell a child to leave, or to tell someone that you must leave//  --Run along now! I’ve got work to finish.//  --Oh, it’s late. I’d better be running along.//  run around phr v//\n  1 to run in an area while you are playing:  --The children were running around in the garden.//\n  2  informal to be very busy doing many small jobs:  --Maria was running around trying to get the house tidy.//  --We were all running around like headless chickens  (=trying to do a lot of things, in an anxious or disorganized way) .//    runaround//  run around after [run around after sb] phr v//  to do a lot of things for someone else as though you were their servant//  --I’ve spent all day running around after the kids.//  run around with [run around with sb] phr v//  to spend a lot of time with someone, especially someone that other people disapprove of//  --He started running around with a gang of teenagers.//  run away phr v//\n  1 to leave a place, especially secretly, in order to escape from someone or something:  run away from//  --Toby ran away from home at the age of 14.//    runaway2 //\n  2 to try to avoid dealing with a problem or difficult situation:  run away from//  --You can’t just run away from your responsibilities.//\n  3 to secretly go away with someone in order to marry them or live with them:  --They ran away together to get married.//  run away with / [run away with sb/sth] phr v//\n  1 to secretly go away with someone in order to marry them or live with them - usually used to show disapproval:  --His wife has run away with another man.//\n  2  run away with you:  if your feelings, ideas etc run away with you, they start to control how you behave//  --Don’t let your imagination run away with you!//\n  3  your tongue runs away with you:  if your tongue runs away with you, you say something that you did not intend to say//\n  4  run away with the idea/impression (that):   spoken to think that something is true when it is not//  --Don’t run away with the impression that he doesn’t care.//\n  5  informal to win a competition or sports game very easily:  --The Reds ran away with the championship.//  run by/past [run sth by/past sb] phr v//\n  1 to tell someone something so that they can give you their opinion:  --Let me run some figures by you.//  --I just wanted to run it past you and see what you thought.//\n  2  run that by me again:   spoken used to ask someone to repeat what they have just said because you did not completely understand it//  run down phr v//\n  1  run sb/sth → down:  to drive into a person or animal and kill or injure them//  --Their daughter was run down by a car.//\n  2  run sb/sth → down:   informal to criticize someone or something in a way that is unfair//  --There’s a lot of good things about homeopathic treatment. I’m certainly not running it down.//\n  3 if a clock, machine, battery etc runs down, it has no more power and stops working:\n  4 to make a company, organization etc gradually reduce in size, especially in order to close it in the future, or to gradually reduce in size:  run sth → down//  --Many smaller local hospitals are being run down.//  --The business had been running down for a long time.//\n  5 if a supply of something runs down, or if you run it down, there gradually becomes less of it:  --Crude oil reserves are running down.//  run sth → down//  --Electricity generating companies are running down stocks and cutting purchases.//\n  6  run down sth:  to read a list of people or things//  --Let me just run down the list of people who’ve been invited.//\n  7  run sb/sth down:  to find someone or something after searching for a long time//  --I finally ran him down at his new office in Glendale.//    rundown,  run-down//  run in [run sb/sth → in] phr v//\n  1 to drive a new car slowly and carefully for a period of time so you do not damage its engine:\n  2  old-fashioned if the police run a criminal in, they catch him or her:  run into / [run into sb/sth] phr v//\n  1 to start to experience a difficult or unpleasant situation:  --He ran into criticism after remarks he made in a television interview.//  run into trouble/problems/difficulties //  --The business ran into financial difficulties almost immediately.//\n  2  run into hundreds/thousands etc:  to reach an amount of several hundred, several thousand etc//  --The cost of repairing the damage could run into millions.//  --The list ran into hundreds of pages.//\n  3 to hit someone or something with a vehicle:   crash into//  --He ran into the back of another car.//\n  4  informal to meet someone by chance:  --Guess who I ran into in town today!//    run yourself into the ground at ground1 (13)//  run off phr v//\n  1 to leave a place or person in a way that people disapprove of:  --Amy’s husband had run off and left her with two children to bring up.//\n  2  run sth → off:  to quickly print several copies of something//  --I’ll run off a few more copies before the meeting.//\n  3  run sb off sth:  to force someone to leave a place//  --Someone tried to run me off the road.//  --Smith had run them off his property with a rifle.//\n  4  run sth → off:  to write a speech, poem, piece of music etc quickly and easily//  --He could run off a five-page essay in an hour.//\n  5  run off at the mouth:   AmE  informal to talk too much//\n  6  run sth → off:  to get rid of weight by running//  --I’m trying to run off some of my excess fat!//  run off with / [run off with sb/sth] phr v//\n  1 to secretly go away with someone in order to marry them or live with them - used to show disapproval:  --Liz shocked us all by running off with a married man.//\n  2 to steal something and go away:  --a con-man who makes a habit of running off with people’s savings//  run on phr v//  to continue happening for longer than expected or planned//  --These things always run on longer than people imagine.//  run out phr v//\n  1 :  a) to use all of something and not have any more left//  --I’ve got some money you can borrow if you run out.//  run out of//  --They ran out of money and had to abandon the project.//  --He’d run out of ideas.//  b) if something is running out, there will soon be none left//  --We must act quickly because time is running out.//  --My patience was running out.//  --His luck had run out (=there was none left) .//\n  2 if an agreement, official document etc runs out, the period for which it is legal or has an effect ends:   expire//  --My contract runs out in September.//\n  3  run out of steam:   informal  also run out of gas  AmE to have no more energy or no longer be interested in what you are doing//  --The team seemed to have run out of gas.//\n  4  run sb out of town:   old-fashioned to force someone to leave a place, because they have done something wrong//\n  5  run sb → out:  to end a player’s innings in the game of cricket by hitting the stumps with the ball while they are running//  run out on [run out on sb] phr v//  to leave someone when they are in a difficult situation - used to show disapproval//  --He ran out on her when she became pregnant.//  run over phr v//\n  1  run sb/sth → over:  to hit someone or something with a vehicle, and drive over them//  --He was run over and killed by a bus.//  --She got run over outside the school.//\n  2  run over sth:  to think about something//  --Mark’s mind raced, running over all the possibilities.//\n  3  run over sth:  to explain or practise something quickly//  --I’ll just run over the main points again.//\n  4  run over (sth):  to continue happening for longer than planned//  --The meeting ran over.//  --The talks have run over the 15 November deadline.//\n  5 if a container runs over, there is so much liquid inside that some flows out:   overflow//  run past [run sth past sb] phr v//  to run something by someone//  run round phr v//  to run around//  run through phr v//\n  1  run through sth:  to repeat something in order to practise it or make sure it is correct//  --Let’s run through the first scene again.//\n  2  run through sth:  to read, look at, or explain something quickly//  --Briefly, she ran through details of the morning’s events.//\n  3  run through sth:  if a quality, feature etc runs through something, it is present in all of that thing//  --This theme runs through the whole book.//\n  4  run sb through:   literary to push a sword completely through someone//    run-through//  run to / [run to sb/sth] phr v//\n  1 to reach a particular amount:  --The cost of repairing the damage could run to $1 million.//  --The treaty ran to 248 pages.//\n  2 [usually in negatives]  BrE to be or have enough money to pay for something:  --Our budget won’t run to replacing all the computers.//\n  3 to ask someone to help or protect you:  --You can’t keep running to your parents every time you have a problem.//\n  4  sb’s taste runs to sth:  if someone’s taste runs to something, that is what they like//  --His taste ran to action movies and thrillers.//  run up [run up sth] phr v//\n  1  run up a debt/bill etc:  to use so much of something, or borrow so much money, that you owe a lot of money//  --She ran up an enormous phone bill.//\n  2 to achieve a particular score or position in a game or competition:  --He quickly ran up a big lead in the polls.//\n  3  run sth → up:  to make something, especially clothes, very quickly//  --She can run up a dress in an evening.//\n  4  run sth → up:  to raise a flag on a pole//  run up against / [run up against sth/sb] phr v//  to have to deal with unexpected problems or a difficult opponent//  --The museum has run up against opposition to its proposals.//  run with [run with sth] phr v//  to be covered with a liquid that is flowing down//  --His face was running with blood.//  ----------//  WORD FOCUS: run //  for exercise: jog //  very quickly because you are in a hurry: dash,  tear,  sprint //  ----------//\nrun 2 n   ----------//\n   1 on foot:\n   2 in the long run:\n   3 in the short run:\n   4 the usual/normal/general run of something:\n   5 series:\n   6 amount produced:\n   7 be on the run:\n   8 do something on the run:\n   9 make a run for it:\n  10 the run of something:\n  11 a run on something:\n  12 give somebody a (good) run for their money:\n  13 have a (good) run for your money:\n  14 illness:\n  15 play/film:\n  16 journey:\n  17 for animals:\n  18 sport:\n  19 winter sports:\n  20 election:\n  21 in clothes:\n  22 music:\n  23 card games:  ----------//\n  1 ON FOOT:   [C] a period of time spent running, or a distance that you run//    jog, sprint//  --a five-mile run//  --She usually goes for a run before breakfast.//  --He was still following me, and in a panic I broke into a run .//  at a run//  --Sarah left the house at a run.//\n  2  in the long run:  later in the future, not immediately//    long-term//  --Moving to Spain will be better for you in the long run.//\n  3  in the short run:  in the near future//    short-term//  --Sufficient supply, in the short run, will be a problem.//\n  4  the usual/normal/general run of sth:  the usual type of something//  --The place was very different from the normal run of street cafes.//\n  5 SERIES:   [C usually singular] a series of successes or failures//    string, streak//  --an unbeaten run of 19 games//  run of good/bad luck //  --Losing my job was the start of a run of bad luck that year.//  a run of defeats/victories etc //  --His extraordinary run of successes has been stopped.//\n  6 AMOUNT PRODUCED:   [C] an amount of a product produced at one time//  --a limited run of 200 copies//\n  7  be on the run:  a) to be trying to escape or hide, especially from the police//  be on the run from//  --wanted criminals on the run from police//  b) if an army or opponent is on the run, they will soon be defeated//  c) to be very busy and continuously rushing about//  --Typical of stress is this feeling of being continuously on the run.//\n  8  do sth on the run:  to do something while you are on your way somewhere or doing something else//  --I always seem to eat on the run these days.//\n  9  make a run for it:  to suddenly start running, in order to escape//\n  10  the run of sth:  if you have the run of a place, you are allowed to go anywhere and do anything in it//  --We had the run of the house for the afternoon.//\n  11  a run on sth:  a) a situation in which lots of people suddenly buy a particular product//    rush//  --There’s always a run on roses before Valentine’s Day.//  b)  a run on the dollar/pound etc//  a situation in which lots of people sell dollars etc and the value goes down//  c)  a run on the bank//  an occasion when a lot of people take their money out of a bank at the same time//\n  12  give sb a (good) run for their money:  to make your opponent in a competition use all their skill and effort to defeat you//  --They’ve given some of the top teams a run for their money this season.//\n  13  have a (good) run for your money:   informal to succeed in doing something successfully for a long time//  --Investors have also had a good run for their money.//\n  14 ILLNESS:   the runs//   informal  diarrhoea//\n  15 PLAY/FILM:   [C] a continuous series of performances of a play, film etc in the same place//  --His first play had a three-month run in the West End.//\n  16 JOURNEY:   [singular] //  a) a journey by train, ship, truck etc made regularly between two places//  --It’s only a 55-minute run from London to Brighton.//  --the daily school run  (=the journey that parents make each day taking their children to and from school)  BrE//  b)  informal a short journey in a car, for pleasure//  --Let’s take the car out for a run.//\n  17 FOR ANIMALS:   [C] an enclosed area where animals such as chickens or rabbits are kept//  --a chicken run//\n  18 SPORT:   [C] a point won in cricket or baseball//  --Jones made 32 runs this afternoon.//\n  19 WINTER SPORTS:   [C] a special area or track on a mountain for people to ski or sledge down//  --a ski run//\n  20 ELECTION:   [C usually singular]  American English an attempt to be elected to an important position//  run for//  --He is preparing a run for the presidency.//\n  21 IN CLOTHES:   [C]  AmE a line of torn stitches in tights or stockings//  British Equivalent:  ladder//\n  22 MUSIC:   [C] a set of notes played or sung quickly up or down a scale in a piece of music//\n  23 CARD GAMES:   [C] a set of cards with numbers in a series, held by one player//    dry run,  dummy run,  fun run,  milk run,  print run,  trial run//


Words: run-down
Meaning:
adj \n  1 a building or area that is run-down is in very bad condition:  --a run-down inner-city area//\n  2 [not before noun] someone who is run-down is tired and not healthy:  --You look a bit run-down.//


Words: run-in
Meaning:
n [C]   an argument or disagreement, especially with someone in an official position//  run-in with//  --Michael got drunk and had a run-in with the police.//


Words: run-off
Meaning:
n \n  1 [C] a second competition or election that is arranged when there is no clear winner of the first one:    play-off//    run off at run1 //\n  2 [U]  technical rain or other liquid that flows off the land into rivers:


Words: run-on sentence
Meaning:
n [C]    especially AmE a sentence that has two main clauses without connecting words or correct punctuation//


Words: run-through
Meaning:
n [C]   a short practice before a performance, test etc//    rehearsal//  --a final run-through of the play//


Words: run-up
Meaning:
n \n  1  the run-up to sth:  the period of time just before an important event//  --in the run-up to the election//\n  2 [C] the act of running, or the distance that you run, before you kick a ball, jump over a pole etc:


Words: runaround
Meaning:
n   give sb the runaround//   informal to deliberately avoid giving someone a definite answer, especially when they are asking you to do something//  --Every time we ask the landlord about fixing the roof, he gives us the runaround.//    run around at run1 //


Words: runaway
Meaning:
adj [only before noun] \n  1 a runaway vehicle or animal is out of control:  --a runaway horse//\n  2 happening very easily or quickly, and not able to be controlled:  --The film was a runaway success .//  -- runaway inflation //  --a runaway victory//\n  3 a runaway person has left the place where they are supposed to be:\nrunaway 2 n [C]   someone, especially a child, who has left home without telling anyone and does not intend to come back//    run away at run1 //


Words: rundown
Meaning:
n [singular] \n  1 the process of making a business or industry smaller and less important:  rundown of//  --the rundown of British Steel’s activities in Scotland//\n  2 a quick report or explanation of an idea, situation etc:  rundown on//  --Connors promised to give me a rundown on local police activity.//


Words: rune
Meaning:
n [C]  technical   [Language: Old English; Origin: run]//\n  1 one of the letters of the alphabet used in the past by people in Northern Europe:\n  2 a magic song or written sign:  -- runic adj //


Words: rung
Meaning:
v   the past participle of ring2//\nrung 2 n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: hrung]//\n  1 one of the bars that form the steps of a ladder:\n  2  informal a particular level or position in an organization or system:  rung of/on//  --Humans are on the highest rung of the evolutionary ladder.//


Words: runner
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 someone who runs for sport or pleasure:    jogger//  --a long-distance runner//  --a marathon runner//\n  2 a horse that runs in a race:  --The runners and riders appear in Friday’s Racing Post.//\n  3  do a runner:   BrE  informal to leave somewhere quickly in order to avoid paying for something or having to meet someone//  --By the time the police got there, the boys had done a runner.//\n  4 one of the two thin pieces of metal under a sledge, or the single piece of metal under a skate:\n  5 the bar of wood or metal that a drawer or curtain slides along:\n  6  technical a stem on a plant that grows along the ground and then puts down roots to form a new plant:\n  7 a long narrow piece of cloth or carpet:    drug runner,  gun runner at gun-running,  front-runner//


Words: running
Meaning:
n [U]   1 the activity or sport of running//    jogging//  --Did you go running this morning?//  --New facilities include a pool and a running track.//  --running shoes//\n  2  the running of sth:  the process of managing or organizing a business, home, organization etc//  --Brian took over the day-to-day running of the company while his father was away.//  --He praised the smooth running of the election.//\n  3  be in the running/out of the running:  to have some hope or no hope of winning a race or competition//  --Who’s in the running for the world title this year?//\n  4  make (all) the running:   BrE  informal to be the person who makes most of the suggestions in a relationship, plan, activity etc//\nrunning 2 adj [only before noun] \n  1  running water:  a) if a house has running water, it has pipes which provide water to its kitchen, bath, toilet etc//  b) water that is flowing or moving//  --the sound of running water//  --Rinse the vegetables thoroughly under running water.//\n  2  running commentary:  a spoken description of an event, especially a race or game, made while the event is happening//  --She gave us a running commentary on what was happening in the street.//\n  3  running total:  a total that keeps being increased as new costs, amounts etc are added//  --Keep a running total of your expenses as you go along.//\n  4  running battle/joke:  an argument or joke that continues or is repeated over a long period of time//\n  5  running sore:  a sore area on your skin that has liquid coming out of it//\n  6  in running order:  a machine that is in running order is working correctly//\n  7  the running order:  the order in which the different parts of an event have been arranged to take place//\n  8  take a running jump:   spoken used to tell someone to go away and stop annoying you//\nrunning 3 adv   three years/five times etc running//  for three years etc without a change or interruption//   in a row//  --She won the prize for the fourth year running.//


Words: running mate
Meaning:
n [C usually singular]   the person chosen by someone who is trying to become president, leader etc to help win an election, and be the second most important political person if they are elected//


Words: runny
Meaning:
adj  informal \n  1 a runny nose, runny eyes etc have liquid coming out of them, usually because you have a cold:\n  2 food that is runny is not as solid or thick as normal or as desired:  --The butter had gone runny in the heat.//


Words: Runnymede
Meaning:
a field near the River Thames at Egham, southern England, where it is believed that King  John signed the  Magna Carta in 1215. There is also a small area of land there which was given to the American people in 1965, and which contains a  memorial to President John F. Kennedy.//


Words: runt
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Perhaps from  Dutch rund  ’cow, small ox’]//\n  1 the smallest and least developed baby animal of a group born at the same time:  runt of//  --the runt of the litter//\n  2  informal a small, unpleasant, or unimportant person:


Words: runway
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a long specially prepared hard surface like a road on which aircraft land and take off:\n  2  AmE a long narrow part of a stage that stretches out into the area where the audience sits:  British Equivalent:  catwalk//


Words: Runyon
Meaning:
Damon   (1884-1946) a US writer of humorous short stories about  gangsters (=members of violent criminal groups)  and people who worked on  Broadway in New York City. His characters use a lot of  slang and unusual expressions. His most famous collection of stories,  Guys and Dolls, was later made into a successful musical show.//


Words: rupee
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Hindi; Origin: rupaiya, from  Sanskrit rupya  ’silver made into coins’]//  the standard unit of money in India, Pakistan, and some other countries//


Words: Rupert Bear
Meaning:
a little bear who wears a red  sweater, yellow  checked trousers, and a  scarf. He is the main character of popular stories for children invented by the British writer and artist Mary Tourtel.//


Words: rupiah
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Hindi; Origin: rupaiya;   RUPEE]//  the standard unit of money in Indonesia//


Words: rupture
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin ruptura, from  rumpere  ’to break’]//\n  1 [U and C] an occasion when something suddenly breaks apart or bursts:  rupture of//  --the rupture of a blood vessel//\n  2 [C] a situation in which two countries, groups of people etc suddenly disagree and often end their relationship with each other:  rupture between//  --The eleventh century saw the formal rupture between East and West.//  rupture with//  --The rupture with his father was absolute.//\n  3 [C] a medical condition in which an organ of the body, especially one near the abdomen, sticks out through the wall of muscle that normally surrounds it:   hernia//\nrupture 2 v \n  1 [I and T] to break or burst, or to make something break or burst:  --The pipe will rupture at its weakest point.//  --His liver was ruptured when a brick wall collapsed on him.//\n  2 [T] to damage good relations between people or a peaceful situation:  --The noise ruptured the tranquility of the afternoon.//\n  3  rupture yourself:  to cause an organ of the body, especially one near the abdomen, to stick out through the wall of muscle that normally surrounds it//


Words: rural
Meaning:
W2   adj   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin ruralis, from  rus  ’open land’]//\n  1 happening in or relating to the countryside, not the city:  → urban//  --a rural setting//  --rural bus routes//\n  2 like the countryside or reminding you of the countryside:  --It’s very rural round here, isn’t it ?//


Words: Ruritania
Meaning:
an imaginary small European country, where many exciting and romantic adventures happen in the novel  The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony  Hope//  -- Ruritanian n  adj //


Words: ruse
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: Old French ruser;   RUSH1]//  a clever trick used to deceive someone//  --Agnes tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house.//


Words: rush
Meaning:
W3S2   v   ----------//\n   1 move quickly:\n   2 rush to do something:\n   3 do something too quickly:\n   4 take/send urgently:\n   5 make somebody hurry:\n   6 liquid:\n   7 blood:\n   8 attack:\n   9 american universities:\n  10 american football:  Phrasal verbs//   rush around//   rush something → out//   rush something → through//  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: ruser  ’to drive back, deceive’, from  Latin recusare;   RECUSE]//\n  1 MOVE QUICKLY:   [I always + adverb/preposition] to move very quickly, especially because you need to be somewhere very soon//   hurry//  --A small girl rushed past her.//  --Mo rushed off down the corridor.//\n  2  rush to do sth:  to do something very quickly and without delay//  --I rushed to pack my suitcase before she came back.//  --He rushed to help his comrade.//\n  3 DO SOMETHING TOO QUICKLY:   [I and T] to do or decide something too quickly, especially so that you do not have time to do it carefully or well//  --He does not intend to rush his decision.//  rush into//  --I’m not rushing into marriage again.//  rush through//  --She rushed through her script.//  rush it/things //  --When we first met, neither of us wanted to rush things.//\n  4 TAKE/SEND URGENTLY:   [T always + adverb/preposition] to take or send someone or something somewhere very quickly, especially because of an unexpected problem//  rush sb/sth to sth//  --The Red Cross rushed medical supplies to the war zone.//  --Dan was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries.//\n  5 MAKE SOMEBODY HURRY:   [T] to try to make someone do something more quickly than they want to//  --I’m sorry to rush you, but we need a decision by Friday.//  rush sb into (doing) sth//  --They felt they were being rushed into choosing a new leader.//\n  6 LIQUID:   [I always + adverb/preposition] if water or another liquid rushes somewhere, it moves quickly//  --Water rushed through the gorge.//\n  7 BLOOD:   blood rushes to sb’s face/cheeks//  used to say that someone’s face becomes red because they feel embarrassed//  --I felt the blood rush to my face as I heard my name.//\n  8 ATTACK:   [T] to attack a person or place suddenly and in a group//  --They rushed the guard and stole his keys.//\n  9 AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES:   AmE //  a)  [T] to give parties for students, have meetings etc, in order to decide whether to let them join your fraternity or sorority (=type of club) //  b)  [I and T] to go through the process of trying to be accepted into one of these clubs//\n  10 AMERICAN FOOTBALL:   [I and T] to carry the ball forward//  rush around phr v//  to try to do a lot of things in a short period of time//  --Get things ready early so that you don’t have to rush around at the last minute.//  rush out [rush sth → out] phr v//  to make a new product, book etc available for sale very quickly//  --The new edition was rushed out just before Christmas.//  rush through [rush sth → through] phr v//  to deal with official or government business more quickly than usual//  rush sth through sth//  --The legislation was rushed through parliament.//\nrush 2 n   ----------//\n   1 fast movement:\n   2 hurry:\n   3 busy period:\n   4 people wanting something:\n   5 feeling:\n   6 plant:\n   7 film:\n   8 american students:  ----------//  [Sense: 1-6, 7-8; Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  RUSH1]//  [Sense: 6; Origin: Old English risc]//\n  1 FAST MOVEMENT:   [singular] a sudden fast movement of things or people//  rush of air/wind/water //  --She felt a cold rush of air as she wound down her window.//  in a rush//  --Her words came out in a rush.//  --At five past twelve there was a mad rush to the dinner hall.//\n  2 HURRY:   [singular,U] a situation in which you need to hurry//  --I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.//  --Don’t worry, there’s no rush . We don’t have to be at the station until 10.//  do sth in a rush//   (=do something quickly because you need to hurry) //  --I had to do my homework in a rush because I was late.//  be in a rush//  --I’m sorry, I can’t talk now - I’m in a rush.//\n  3 BUSY PERIOD:   the rush//  the time in the day, month, year etc when a place or group of people is particularly busy//    peak//  --The cafe is quiet until the lunchtime rush begins.//  --the Christmas rush//    rush hour//\n  4 PEOPLE WANTING SOMETHING:   [singular] a situation in which a lot of people suddenly try to do or get something//  rush on//  --There’s always a rush on swimsuits in the hot weather.//  rush to do sth//  --the rush to put computers in all schools//    gold rush//\n  5 FEELING:   [singular] //  a)  informal a sudden strong, usually pleasant feeling that you get from taking a drug or from doing something exciting//    high//  --The feeling of power gave me such a rush.//  --an adrenalin rush //  b)  rush of anger/excitement/gratitude etc//  a sudden very strong feeling of anger etc//  --I felt a rush of excitement when she arrived.//  --A rush of jealousy swept through her.//\n  6 PLANT:   [C usually plural] a type of tall grass that grows in water, often used for making baskets//\n  7 FILM:   rushes [plural] the first prints of a film before it has been edited//  American Equivalent:  dailies//\n  8 AMERICAN STUDENTS:   [U]  AmE the time when students in American universities who want to join a fraternity or sorority (=type of club)  go to a lot of parties in order to try to be accepted//  --rush week//


Words: rush hour
Meaning:
n [U and C]   the time of day when the roads, buses, trains etc are most full, because people are travelling to or from work//  --I got caught in the morning rush hour.//  --heavy rush hour traffic//


Words: Rushdie
Meaning:
Salman   (1947- ) a British writer born in India, who won the Booker Prize for his novel  Midnight’s Children. In 1988 his novel  The Satanic Verses offended Muslims because they said that it was insulting to their religion, with the result that Ayatollah  Khomeini in Iran gave a fatwa, an order that Rushdie should be killed. He had to live in a secret place for many years.//


Words: rushed
Meaning:
adj \n  1 done very quickly or too quickly, because there was not enough time:  --We did have a meeting, but it was a bit rushed.//\n  2  BrE if you are rushed, you are very busy because you have a lot of things to do quickly:  --I’ll talk to you later - I’m a bit rushed at the moment.//  --I’ve been rushed off my feet  (=extremely busy) all day.//


Words: Rushmore
Meaning:
Mount  also  Mount Rushmore National Memorial  a mountain in South Dakota, US, where the rock has been cut into the shape of the faces of four US presidents:  Washington,  Jefferson,  Lincoln, and Theodore  Roosevelt//


Words: Ruskin
Meaning:
John   (1819-1900) a British art  critic and social critic, who wrote many  essays including Modern Painters//


Words: Russell
Meaning:
Bertrand   (1872-1970) a British  philosopher and  mathematician who developed new ideas connecting  mathematics and  logic. He was also known for being a  pacifist (=someone who believes that all wars are wrong) , and he was one of the leading members of the opposition to  nuclear weapons. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.//\n Charles   (1864-1926) a popular US artist who painted scenes of  cowboys and  Native Americans//


Words: russet
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: rousset, from  Latin russus  ’red’]//   literary a reddish brown colour//  -- russet adj //


Words: Russia
Meaning:
a very large country in Eastern Europe and northern Asia, officially called the Russian Federation. It consists of the land from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea in the south, and from the borders of Belarus and Ukraine in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. Population: 145,470,197 (2001). Capital: Moscow. Before 1917, Russia was a large, powerful country, ruled by a king called the TSAR. After 1917, it formed the largest part of the Soviet Union, and people often used the name "Russia" when they meant the whole Soviet Union and its Communist government. Since 1991, Russia has had a  democratic government.//


Words: Russian
Meaning:
adj   relating to Russia, its people, or its language//\nRussian 2 n \n  1 [C] someone from Russia:\n  2 [U] the language used in Russia:


Words: Russian Orthodox Church
Meaning:
the   the main religious group of Russia. It is a Christian church that began in the 11th century by separating from the Catholic Church. The Orthodox Church has very complicated religious ceremonies in which the words are mostly sung rather than spoken, and the it is closely related to the  Greek Orthodox Church.//  -- Russian Orthodox adj //


Words: Russian Revolution
Meaning:
the   the events of 1917, when the Russian people  overthrew their tsar before the  communists took over under the leadership of Lenin//


Words: Russian roulette
Meaning:
n [U]   a game in which you risk killing yourself by shooting at your head with a gun that has six spaces for bullets but only one bullet in it//


Words: rust
Meaning:
n [U]   [Language: Old English; Origin:]//\n  1 the reddish-brown substance that forms on iron or steel when it gets wet:    rusty//  --There were large patches of rust on the car.//\n  2 a plant disease that causes reddish-brown spots:\nrust 2 v [I and T]   to become covered with rust, or to make something become covered in rust//  --The metal had begun to rust.//  --The gate was old and badly rusted.//  rust away phr v//  to be gradually destroyed by rust//  --The blades of the swords have rusted away.//


Words: Rust Belt
Meaning:
AmE   the Rust Belt//  an area in the northern US, including parts of the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where many large, older industries, especially the steel and car industries, have become less successful and many factories have closed down//


Words: rustic
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: rustique, from  Latin rusticus, from  rus;   RURAL]//\n  1 simple, old-fashioned, and not spoiled by modern developments, in a way that is typical of the countryside:  --The village had a certain rustic charm .//\n  2 [only before noun] roughly made from wood:  --a rustic chair//  -- rusticity/r[hA356]st[hA366]s[hA369]ti/ n  [U] //\nrustic 2 n [C]    literary someone from the country, especially a farm worker//


Words: rustle
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  From the sound;]//  [Sense: 2; Origin:  probably influenced in meaning by  hustle]//\n  1 [I and T] if leaves, papers, clothes etc rustle, or if you rustle them, they make a noise as they rub against each other:  --She moved nearer, her long silk skirt rustling around her.//  --He rustled the papers on his desk.//\n  2 [T] to steal farm animals such as cattle, horses, or sheep:  rustle up [rustle sth → up] phr v//  to make a meal quickly//  --I’ll rustle up a couple of steaks on the barbecue.//\nrustle 2 n [singular]   the noise made when something rustles//  rustle of//  --the rustle of leaves in the wind//


Words: rusty
Meaning:
adj   1 metal that is rusty is covered in rust//  --a rusty nail//  --a new metal that will never go rusty //\n  2 if you are rusty, you are not as good at something as you used to be, because you have not practised it for a long time:  --My French is a bit rusty.//


Words: rut
Meaning:
n   [Sense: 1-2; Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Perhaps from  Old French route;   ROUTE1]//  [Sense: 3; Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: ’loud sound made by a deer’, from  Latin rugire  ’to roar’]//\n  1 [C] a deep narrow track left in soft ground by a wheel:\n  2  in a rut:  living or working in a situation that never changes, so that you feel bored//  --I was stuck in a rut and decided to look for a new job.//\n  3 [U]  also the rut :   technical the period of the year when some male animals, especially deer, are sexually active//  in rut//  --a stag in rut//


Words: rutabaga
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Swedish; Origin: rotabagge, from  rot  ’root’ +  bagge  ’bag’]//   AmE a large round yellow vegetable that grows under the ground//  British Equivalent:  swede//


Words: Ruth
Meaning:
Babe   (1895-1948) a US  baseball player, the most famous ever, who played mainly for the New York Yankees team, and got more  home runs than anyone before him. He was called the Sultan of Swat.//


Words: Rutherford
Meaning:
Ernest   (1871-1937) a British scientist, born in New Zealand, who discovered the structure of the atom, and discovered that there are three types of  radiation - alpha, beta, and gamma rays. He is most famous for being the first person to "split the atom", when he split the  nucleus (=central part)  of an atom in 1919.//


Words: ruthless
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin: ruth  ’pity’ (12-19 centuries), from  rue]//\n  1 so determined to get what you want that you do not care if you have to hurt other people in order to do it:  --a ruthless dictator//  --They have shown a ruthless disregard for basic human rights.//\n  2 determined and firm when making unpleasant decisions:  --He ran the company with ruthless efficiency.//  --Throw away clothes you don’t wear - be ruthless.//  -- ruthlessly adv //  --The uprising was ruthlessly suppressed.//  -- ruthlessness n  [U] //


Words: Rutland
Meaning:
a local government area and former  county in central England. It used to be England’s smallest county.//


Words: rutted
Meaning:
adj   a surface that is rutted has deep narrow tracks in it left by the wheels of vehicles//    uneven//


Words: RV
Meaning:
n [C]    AmE  recreational vehicle a large vehicle, usually with cooking equipment and beds in it, that a family can use for travelling or camping//    mobile home, caravan//


Words: Rwanda
Meaning:
a country in east central Africa between Tanzania and Za[hA170]re. Population: 7,313,000 (2001). Capital: Kigali. In 1994 there was a  civil war between two tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis.//  -- Rwandan n  adj //


Words: Ryan
Meaning:
Nolan   (1947- ) a US  baseball player who was a  pitcher, and is famous for a type of  pitch called a "flamethrower" because it was so fast. He is one of the best baseball players ever, and he established more than 50 records. //


Words: Ryder Cup
Meaning:
the   an important  golf competition held every two years, in which two teams compete, one representing Europe and the other the US//


Words: rye
Meaning:
n [U]   [Language: Old English; Origin: ryge]//\n  1 a type of grain that is used for making bread and whisky:  --rye bread//\n  2  also rye whiskey  AmE a type of American whisky made from rye:


Words: S
Meaning:
s/es/ n   plural  S’s  s’s  [U and C] //  the 19th letter of the English alphabet//\n  1 the written abbreviation of south or southern :\n  2 the written abbreviation of small , used on clothes to show the size:


Words: S level
Meaning:
an examination at a very high standard in the British GCE system, higher than an A level, usually taken at the age of 18//


Words: S-bend
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE \n  1 a bend in a road in the shape of an ’S’ that can be dangerous to drivers:  American Equivalent:  S-curve//\n  2 a bend in a waste pipe in the shape of an ’S’:


Words: S-curve
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a bend in the road in the shape of an ’S’, that can be dangerous to drivers//  British Equivalent:  S-bend//


Words: s/he
Meaning:
pron  written   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: she +  he]//  used in writing when the subject of the sentence can be either male or female//  --If any student witnesses a crime, s/he should contact campus police immediately.//


Words: S4C
Meaning:
a television station in Wales, which broadcasts programmes in the Welsh language as well as many programmes in English, provided by  Channel 4//


Words: S[hA163]o Paulo
Meaning:
the largest city in southeast Brazil, in South America, and Brazil’s financial and industrial centre//


Words: S[hA164]o Tome and Pr[hA16E]ncipe
Meaning:
a small country made up of a group of islands off West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. Population: 165,034 (2001). Capital: S[hA164]o Tome.//


Words: Saba
Meaning:
a mountainous island, five miles square in size, in the Dutch Antilles in the Caribbean. It has the world’s shortest commercial runway for aircraft.//


Words: Sabbath
Meaning:
n   [Date: 900-1000; Language: Latin; Origin: sabbatum, from  Greek, from  Hebrew shabbath  ’rest’]//\n  1  the Sabbath:  a) Sunday, considered as a day of rest and prayer by most Christian churches//  b) Saturday, considered as a day of rest and prayer in the Jewish religion and some Christian churches//\n  2  keep/break the Sabbath:  to obey or not obey the religious rules of the Sabbath//


Words: sabbatical
Meaning:
n [U and C]   a period when someone, especially someone in a university job, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel//  --She took a long sabbatical .//  on sabbatical//  --Dr Watson’s away on sabbatical.//


Words: sable
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Middle Low German sabel]//  an expensive fur used to make coats etc, or the small animal that this fur comes from//\nsable 2 adj  literary   black or very dark in colour//


Words: sabotage
Meaning:
v [T] \n  1 to secretly damage or destroy equipment, vehicles etc that belong to an enemy or opponent, so that they cannot be used:  --Every single plane had been sabotaged.//\n  2 to deliberately spoil someone’s plans because you do not want them to succeed:  --Demonstrators have sabotaged the conference.//\nsabotage 2 n [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: saboter  ’to walk along noisily, do work badly, sabotage’, from  sabot  ’wooden shoe’]//  deliberate damage that is done to equipment, vehicles etc in order to prevent an enemy or opponent from using them//  --The terrorists were planning acts of sabotage to destabilize the country.//  --industrial sabotage//


Words: saboteur
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: French; Origin: saboter;   SABOTAGE2]//  someone who deliberately damages, destroys, or spoils someone else’s property or activities, in order to prevent them from doing something//  --The lorries were wrecked by saboteurs.//    hunt saboteur//


Words: sabre
Meaning:
BrE  saber AmE   n [C] \n  1 a light pointed sword with one sharp edge used in fencing:\n  2 a heavy sword with a curved blade, used in past times:


Words: sabre-rattling
Meaning:
n [U]   when someone threatens to use force but you do not think they are very frightening or serious//  --What the situation calls for is calm discussion - not sabre-rattling.//


Words: sac
Meaning:
n [C]  technical   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: French; Origin: ’bag’, from  Latin saccus;   SACK1]//  a part inside a plant or animal that is shaped like a bag and contains liquid or air//


Words: Sacajawea
Meaning:
(?-1812) a Native American woman who acted as a guide on  Lewis and Clark’s travels from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean//


Words: saccharin
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Latin; Origin: saccharum  ’sugar’, from  Greek sakcharon, from  Sanskrit sarkara  ’small stones, sugar’]//  a chemical substance that tastes sweet and is used instead of sugar in drinks//


Words: saccharine
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: saccharum;   SACCHARIN]//  too romantic in a way that seems silly and insincere//  --I hated the movie’s saccharine ending.//


Words: sachet
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: sac;   SAC]//\n  1  BrE a small plastic or paper package containing a liquid or powder:  American Equivalent:  packet//  sachet of//  --a sachet of shampoo//\n  2 a small bag containing dried herbs or flowers that smell pleasant:  --a lavender sachet//


Words: sack
Meaning:
n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: sacc, from  Latin saccus, from  Greek sakkos  ’bag, sackcloth’]//\n  1 :  a) a large bag made of strong rough cloth or strong paper, used for storing or carrying flour, coal, vegetables etc//  sack of//  --a sack of potatoes//  b)  also sackful //  the amount that a sack can contain//  sack of//  --We need about a sack of rice.//\n  2  the sack:   BrE  informal when someone is dismissed from their job//  --They’ve never actually given anyone the sack .//  --He got the sack for stealing.//  --She claimed she’d been threatened with the sack.//\n  3  hit the sack:   old-fashioned informal to go to bed//  --It’s one o’clock - time to hit the sack.//\n  4  in the sack:   informal in bed - used to talk about sexual activity//  --I bet she’s great in the sack.//\n  5  the sack of sth:   formal a situation in which an army goes through a place, destroying or stealing things and attacking people//  --the sack of Rome in 1527//\nsack 2 v [T]   [Sense: 1-2,4; Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  SACK1]//  [Sense: 3; Date: 1500-1600; Origin: sack  ’destruction of and stealing from a town’ (16-21 centuries), from  French sac (  SAC), in the phrase  mettre A  sac  ’put in the bag’, from  Italian mettere a sacco]//\n  1  BrE  informal to dismiss someone from their job:   fire//  --They couldn’t sack me - I’d done nothing wrong.//  sack sb from sth//  --He was sacked from every other job he had.//  sack sb for (doing) sth//  --He was sacked for being drunk.//\n  2 to knock down the quarterback in American football:\n  3 if soldiers sack a place, they go through it destroying or stealing things and attacking people:  --Alaric the Goth advanced toward Rome, which he sacked in AD 410.//  sack out phr v//   informal to go to sleep//  --He sacked out on the sofa.//


Words: sack race
Meaning:
n [C]   a race in which the competitors, usually children, have to jump forwards with both legs inside a sack//


Words: sackcloth
Meaning:
[U] \n  1 rough cloth used for making sacks:\n  2  wear sackcloth and ashes:   BrE to behave in a way that shows everyone you are sorry about something wrong you have done//


Words: sacrament
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Late Latin sacramentum, from  Latin sacrare  ’to make holy’]//\n  1  the Sacrament:  the bread and wine that are eaten at communion (=an important Christian ceremony) //\n  2 one of the important Christian ceremonies, such as marriage or communion:  -- sacramental/s[zB024]kr[hA353]mentl[hA36B]/ adj //


Words: sacred
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Past participle of  sacre  ’to make holy’ (13-17 centuries), from  Old French sacrer, from  Latin sacrare, from  sacer  ’holy’]//\n  1 relating to a god or religion:  --a sacred vow//  --the miraculous powers of sacred relics//  --Certain animals were considered sacred.//  sacred to//  --The land is sacred to these tribesmen.//\n  2 very important or greatly respected:  --Human life is sacred.//  --Frontiers which have held for over forty years are no longer sacred.//  sacred to//  --Few things were sacred to Henry, but local history was one of them.//  --He had no respect for everything I held sacred .//\n  3  is nothing sacred?:   spoken used to express shock when something you think is valuable or important is being changed or harmed//  -- sacredness n  [U] //  --the sacredness of human life//


Words: sacred cow
Meaning:
n [C]   a belief, custom, system etc that is so important to some people that they will not let anyone criticize it//  --In New York’s show business scene, money, fame and power are sacred cows.//


Words: sacrifice
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin sacrificium, from  sacer (  SACRED) +  facere  ’to make’]//\n  1 [U and C] when you decide not to have something valuable, in order to get something that is more important:  --The minister stressed the need for economic sacrifice.//  --The workforce were willing to make sacrifices in order to preserve jobs.//  --She brought three children up single-handedly, often at great personal sacrifice .//\n  2 :  a)  [U and C] the act of offering something to a god, especially in the past, by killing an animal or person in a religious ceremony//  --They made sacrifices to ensure a good harvest.//  b)  [C] an animal, person, or object offered to a god in sacrifice//  sacrifice to//  --In those days, an animal was offered as a sacrifice to God.//  --a human sacrifice  (=a person killed as a sacrifice) //\n  3  literary  the final/supreme/ultimate sacrifice:  the act of dying while you are fighting for a principle or in order to help other people//  --Captain Oates made the ultimate sacrifice in a bid to save his colleagues.//\nsacrifice 2 v \n  1 [T] to willingly stop having something you want or doing something you like in order to get something more important:  sacrifice sth for sth//  --A Labour government chose to sacrifice defence for welfare.//  sacrifice sth to do sth//  --He sacrificed a promising career to look after his kids.//  sacrifice yourself (for sth)//  --mothers who sacrifice themselves for their children//\n  2 [I and T] to kill an animal or person and offer them to a god in a religious ceremony:


Words: sacrificial
Meaning:
adj [usually before noun]   relating to or offered as a sacrifice//  --a sacrificial ceremony//  --a sacrificial lamb//


Words: sacrilege
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin sacrilegium, from  sacer (  SACRED) +  legere  ’to gather, steal’]//\n  1 when someone treats something holy in a way that does not show respect:\n  2 when someone treats something that another person thinks is very important or special without enough care or respect:  it is sacrilege (for sb) to do sth//  --It’s sacrilege to even think of destroying that lovely building.//  -- sacrilegious/s[zB024]kr[hA369]l[hA366]d[hA360][hA353]s[hA36B]/ adj //


Words: sacristan
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: sacristanus, from  sacrista  ’sacristan’, from  Latin sacer;   SACRED]//  someone whose job is to take care of the holy objects in a church//


Words: sacristy
Meaning:
n   plural  sacristies  [C] //  [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: sacristia, from  sacrista;   SACRISTAN]//  a small room in a church where holy cups and plates are kept, and where priests put on their ceremonial clothes//   vestry//


Words: sacrosanct
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: sacrosanctus, probably from  sacro sanctus  ’made holy by religious ceremonies’]//  something that is sacrosanct is considered to be so important that no one is allowed to criticize or change it//   sacred//  --Weekends are sacrosanct in our family.//


Words: sad
Meaning:
W3S2   adj   comparative  sadder superlative  saddest //  ----------//\n   1 feeling unhappy:\n   2 making you unhappy:\n   3 not satisfactory:\n   4 lonely:\n   5 boring:\n   6 sadder and/but wiser:  ----------//  [Language: Old English; Origin: s[zB024]d  ’having had enough’]//\n  1 FEELING UNHAPPY:  unhappy, especially because something unpleasant has happened//  → happy//  feel/look/sound sad //  --Dad looked sad and worried as he read the letter.//  be sad to hear/see/read etc sth //  --I was very sad to hear that he had died.//  sad that//  --Lilly felt sad that Christmas was over.//  sad about//  --I was sad about the friends I was leaving behind.//  sad smile/face/expression etc //  --There was such a sad look in her eyes.//\n  2 MAKING YOU UNHAPPY:  a sad event, situation etc makes you feel unhappy//  --Sorry to hear the sad news .//  --It was a sad case. The boy ended up in prison.//  sad story/song/film etc //  --a story with a sad ending//  it is sad to see/hear etc sth //  --It was sad to see them arguing all the time.//  sad time/day/moment etc //  --This is a sad day for us all.//\n  3 NOT SATISFACTORY:  very bad or unacceptable//  --There aren’t enough teachers, which is a sad state of affairs  (=bad situation) .//  it’s sad that/when/if ... //  --It’s sad if people are too afraid to go out alone at night.//  the sad fact is (that)  spoken //  --The sad fact is that prejudice still exists.//  -- Sad to say  (=unfortunately) , the country is heading towards civil war.//\n  4 LONELY:  a sad person has a dull, unhappy, or lonely life//  --She’s a sad character - without any friends at all.//\n  5 BORING:   informal boring or not deserving any respect//  --Stay in on Saturday night? What a sad idea!//\n  6  sadder and/but wiser:  having learned something from an unpleasant experience//  --He came out of the relationship sadder but wiser.//    sadness//  ----------//  WORD FOCUS: words meaning sad //  unhappy sad because of the situation you are in //  miserable very sad //  depressed sad for a long time, and feeling that your life will never get better //  gloomy/glum looking sad //  down/down in the dumps sad and without much interest in life - usually not in a serious or permanent way //  broken-hearted very sad because someone has ended a romantic relationship with you //  homesick sad because you are a long way from your home and your friends  //  ----------//


Words: Sadat
Meaning:
Anwar al-   (1918-81) the President of Egypt from 1970 to 1981, who tried to bring peace between the Arabs and Israelis. He shared the  Nobel Peace Prize with Menachem Begin in 1978 and they signed the  Camp David agreement in the following year. He was  assassinated in 1981.//


Words: Saddam
Meaning:
Hussein   (1937- ) the President of Iraq since 1979. He led Iraq in a long war against Iran (1980-88), and in 1990 he tried to take control of Kuwait. This caused the  Gulf War, and Saddam’s armies were forced to leave Kuwait by United Nations forces, led by the US.//


Words: sadden
Meaning:
v [T]  formal   to make someone feel sad//  --Those who knew him are saddened by his death.//  it saddens sb that//  --It saddened him that they no longer trusted him.//  -- saddening adj //


Words: saddle
Meaning:
n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: sadol]//\n  1 a leather seat that you sit on when you ride a horse:  saddle, stand//\n  2 a seat on a bicycle or a motorcycle:\n  3  in the saddle:   informal //  a) riding a horse//  --We did six or eight hours in the saddle every day.//  b) in a position in which you have power or authority//  --He always has to be in the saddle, controlling everything.//\n  4  saddle of lamb/hare/venison:  a large joint of meat taken from the middle of the animal’s back//\nsaddle 2 v [T]   to put a saddle on a horse//  saddle up phr v//  to put a saddle on a horse//  saddle sth → up//  --He was in the stable, saddling up his horse.//  saddle with [saddle sb with sth] phr v//  to make someone have a job or problem that is difficult or boring and that they do not want//  --I’ve been saddled with organizing the whole party!//  --Many farms were saddled with debts.//


Words: saddo
Meaning:
n   plural  saddos  [C]  informal //  someone who you do not respect, especially because you think their interests are boring or strange//  --a bunch of saddos dressed up as science fiction characters//


Words: Sade
Meaning:
Marquis de   (1740-1814) a French writer who was put in prison for his violent sexual actions. He wrote novels and plays about the sexual pleasure he got from hurting other people, and  sadism, the word for this type of sexual pleasure, is based on his name.//


Words: Sadie Hawkins Day
Meaning:
a day when, according to an old US custom, women can ask men to go out with them to start a romantic relationship, or women can ask men to dance with them at an event called a Sadie Hawkins dance. Sadie Hawkins Day is usually in November, and it is based on an imaginary character who first appeared in the US  cartoon strip (=a set of drawings that tell a funny story in a newspaper or magazine)  L’il Abner in the 1930s. //


Words: sadism
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: sadisme, from the Marquis de  Sade (1740-1814), French writer who described cruel sexual practices]//\n  1 behaviour in which someone gets pleasure from hurting other people or making then suffer:    masochism//  --There seemed to be an element of sadism in the training regime.//\n  2 when someone gets sexual pleasure from hurting someone:    masochism//


Words: sadistic
Meaning:
adj   cruel and enjoying making other people suffer//    masochistic//  --He took sadistic pleasure in humiliating her.//  --sadistic fantasies//  -- sadistically/-kli/ adv //


Words: Sadler’s Wells
Meaning:
a theatre in London where many famous dancers performed, and where the Royal Ballet was based for many years. It was rebuilt in the 1990s and is used for  opera, ballet, and modern dance performances.//


Words: sadly
Meaning:
adv \n  1 in a way that shows that you are sad:   unhappily//  --Peter shook his head sadly.//\n  2 [sentence adverb] unfortunately:  --Sadly, the business failed.//\n  3 very much - used when talking about bad situations or states:  --The garden’s been sadly neglected.//  --Good restaurants were sadly lacking.//  --He was a popular man who will be sadly missed.//  --I’m afraid you’re going to be sadly disappointed.//  --If you think you’ll get any money from him, you’re sadly mistaken.//


Words: sadness
Meaning:
n [U]   the state of feeling sad//   unhappiness//  great/deep sadness //  --She sensed Beth’s deep sadness.//  --It was with great sadness that we learned of his death.//  --There was  a touch of sadness  in his voice (=he sounded a little sad) .//  --His relief  was tinged with sadness  (=he also felt rather sad) .//


Words: sadomasochism
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: sadism +  masochism]//  S & M when someone gets sexual pleasure from hurting someone or being hurt//  -- sadomasochist n  [C] //  -- sadomasochistic/se[hA366]d[hA353][hA35E]m[zB024]s[hA353]k[hA366]st[hA366]k[hA36B] $ -do[hA35E]-/ adj //


Words: sae
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   stamped addressed envelope  or  self-addressed envelope an envelope on which you have written your own name and address, and usually put a stamp, so that someone else can send you something//  American Equivalent:  SASE//  --For further details, send an SAE to the following address.//


Words: safari
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Arabic; Origin: safariy  ’of a trip’]//\n  1 a trip to see or hunt wild animals, especially in Africa:  on safari//  --They went on safari in Kenya.//  2  safari suit/jacket//  a suit or jacket that is made of light material, usually with a belt and pockets on the chest//


Words: safari park
Meaning:
n [C]   an enclosed area of land where wild animals are kept, so that people can drive round to look at them//


Words: safe
Meaning:
adj   comparative  safer superlative  safest //  ----------//\n   1 not causing harm:\n   2 not in danger:\n   3 safe place:\n   4 safe journey/arrival/return etc:\n   5 no risk:\n   6 subject:\n   7 to be on the safe side:\n   8 be in safe hands:\n   9 better (to be) safe than sorry:\n  10 safe in the knowledge that...:\n  11 a safe pair of hands:\n  12 safe!:\n  13 no problem:  ----------//  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: sauf, from  Latin salvus  ’safe, healthy’]//\n  1 NOT CAUSING HARM:  not likely to cause any physical injury or harm//  → dangerous//  --Don’t go near the edge - it isn’t safe.//  --Flying is one of the safest forms of travel.//  --a safe working environment//  it is safe (for sb) to do sth//  --Is it safe to swim here?//  safe to use/drink/eat etc //  --The water is treated to make it safe to drink.//  safe for//  --play-areas that are safe for children//  (at/from) a safe distance //  --We watched from a safe distance.//  --Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front.//  safe driver //  --Women are safer drivers than men.//\n  2 NOT IN DANGER:   [not before noun] not in danger of being lost, harmed, or stolen//  → unsafe//    safety//  --She doesn’t feel safe in the house on her own.//  safe from//  --The birds’ nests are high up, safe from predators.//  --Make sure you keep these documents safe .//  safe and sound/well (=unharmed, especially after being in danger) //  --The missing children were found safe and sound.//\n  3  safe place:  a place where something is not likely to be stolen or lost//  keep/put sth in a safe place //  --Keep your credit cards in a safe place.//\n  4  safe journey/arrival/return etc:  a journey etc when someone or something is not harmed or lost//  --His family celebrated his safe return home.//  safe journey  BrE  (=said to someone when they start a long journey) //  --Dad rang to wish me a safe journey.//\n  5 NO RISK:  not involving any risk and very likely to be successful//  --a safe investment//  --a safe method of contraception//  it’s safe to say/assume (that) //  --I think it’s safe to say that the future is looking pretty good.//  be (as) safe as houses  BrE  (=be completely safe) //\n  6 SUBJECT:  a safe subject of conversation is not likely to upset anyone or make people argue//  --I kept to safe subjects, like the weather.//\n  7  to be on the safe side:   spoken to do something in order to be certain to avoid an unpleasant situation//  --I’d take an umbrella, just to be on the safe side.//\n  8  be in safe hands:  to be with someone who will look after you very well//  --Everyone wants to feel that their children are in safe hands.//\n  9  better (to be) safe than sorry:   spoken used to say that it is better to be careful, even if this takes time, effort etc, than take a risk that may have a bad result//  --Set the alarm clock - better safe than sorry!//\n  10  safe in the knowledge that...:  completely certain that something is true or will happen//  --She went out, safe in the knowledge that no one else was awake.//\n  11  a safe pair of hands:  someone you can trust to do a difficult job without making mistakes//\n  12  safe!:   BrE  spoken  informal used by young people to show approval of something//  --’Alex is having a party.’ ’Oh, safe!’//\n  13 NO PROBLEM:   BrE  spoken  informal used to say that something is good and that there is no problem//  --’How’s your new boss?’ ’She’s safe.’//    play it safe at play1 (9),  it’s a safe bet (that) at bet2 (4),  safe seat at seat1 (2),  sb’s secret is safe (with sb) at secret2 (1)//\nsafe 2 n [C]   a strong metal box or cupboard with special locks where you keep money and valuable things//


Words: safe haven
Meaning:
n [C]   a place where someone can go in order to escape from possible danger or attack//  provide/offer/create a safe haven (for sb) //  --The Prime Minister wanted to create a safe haven for the refugees.//


Words: safe house
Meaning:
n [C]   a house where someone can hide and be protected. Safe houses are used especially by criminals hiding from the police, or by people who are being protected by the police.//


Words: safe passage
Meaning:
also safe conduct  n [U and C]   official protection for someone when they are in danger or passing through a dangerous area//  permit/promise/guarantee etc safe passage (to/for sb) //  --The government offered safe passage to militants taking up their offer of peace talks.//


Words: safe sex
Meaning:
n [U]   ways of having sex that reduce the risk of spreading AIDS and other sexual diseases, especially by using a condom//


Words: safeguard
Meaning:
v [T]   to protect something from harm or damage//  safeguard sb’s interests/rights/welfare etc //  --The industry has a duty to safeguard the interests of consumers.//  --technology that will safeguard the environment//  safeguard sth against sth//  --a program for safeguarding the computer system against viruses//\nsafeguard 2 n [C]   a rule, agreement etc that is intended to protect someone or something from possible dangers or problems//  --International safeguards prevent the increase of nuclear weapons.//  safeguard against//  --safeguards against the exploitation of children//


Words: safekeeping
Meaning:
n [U]   the state of being kept safe, or the action of keeping something safe//  for safekeeping//  --My passport was in the inner pocket of my bag, for safekeeping.//


Words: safely
Meaning:
adv   in a way that is safe//  --Drive safely!//  --I think we can safely assume that she will pass the exam.//


Words: safety
Meaning:
W2S3   n   plural  safeties //  ----------//\n   1 not in danger:\n   2 harmful/not harmful:\n   3 somebody’s safety:\n   4 safe place:\n   5 there is safety in numbers:\n   6 sport:\n   7 gun:\n   8 safety harness/helmet/glasses etc:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sauvete, from  sauf;   SAFE1]//\n  1 NOT IN DANGER:   [U] when someone or something is safe from danger or harm//  safety of//  --measures to improve the health and safety of employees//  in safety//  --We were able to watch the lions in complete safety.//  for safety//  --For safety, always climb with a partner.//  --You shouldn’t travel alone, for safety’s sake  (=in order to be safe) .//  -- For your own safety , please do not smoke inside the plane.//\n  2 HARMFUL/NOT HARMFUL:   [U] how safe something is to use, do etc//  safety of//  --Campaigners have challenged the safety of genetically-modified foods.//  safety standards/regulations/precautions etc (=things that are done in order to make sure that something is safe) //  --The device meets safety standards.//  --Lower speed limits are part of a new road safety campaign.//\n  3  sb’s safety:  how safe someone is in a particular situation//  --The boy had been missing for five days and there were fears for his safety.//\n  4 SAFE PLACE:   [U] a place where you are safe from danger//  safety of//  --30,000 people fled to the safety of the capital.//  get/lead/drag etc sb to safety //  --Firefighters led the children to safety.//  --They reached safety seconds before the bomb went off.//\n  5  there is safety in numbers:  used to say that it is safer to be in a group than alone//\n  6 SPORT:   [C] a way of getting two points in American football by making the other team put the ball down in its own goal//\n  7 GUN:   [C]  AmE a lock on a gun that stops anyone from shooting it by accident//  British Equivalent:  safety catch//\n  8  safety harness/helmet/glasses etc:  equipment etc that keeps you safe when you are doing something dangerous//


Words: safety catch
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a lock on a gun that stops anyone from shooting it by accident//  American Equivalent:  safety//


Words: safety glass
Meaning:
n [U]   strong glass that breaks into very small pieces that are not sharp, used for example in car windows//


Words: safety match
Meaning:
n [C]   a match that you can light only by rubbing it along a special surface on the side of its box//


Words: safety net
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a large net that is placed below an acrobat who is performing high above the ground, in order to catch them if they fall:\n  2 a system or arrangement that exists to help you if you have serious problems or get into a difficult situation:  safety net for//  --State support should provide a safety net for the very poor.//


Words: safety pin
Meaning:
n [C]   a metal pin for fastening things together. The point of the pin fits into a cover so that it cannot hurt you.//


Words: safety valve
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a part of a machine that allows gas, steam etc to escape when the pressure becomes too great:\n  2 something that allows you to get rid of strong feelings without doing any harm:  --Being able to express emotion is a healthy safety valve for the relationship.//


Words: safety-deposit box
Meaning:
also safe-deposit box  n [C]   a small box used for storing valuable objects, usually kept in a special room in a bank//


Words: saffron
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: safran, from  Medieval Latin safranum, from  Arabic za’faran]//\n  1 a bright yellow spice that is used in cooking to give food a special taste and colour. It is sold as a powder or in thin pieces.:\n  2 a bright orange-yellow colour:


Words: SAG
Meaning:
Screen Actors’ Guild a  trade union in the US for actors and actresses who perform in films for the cinema or television//    AFTRA//    Equity//


Words: sag
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  sagged present participle  sagging  [I] //  [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 to hang down or bend in the middle, especially because of the weight of something:   droop//  --The branch sagged under the weight of the apples.//  --The skin around my eyes is starting to sag.//  --a sagging roof//\n  2 to become weaker or less valuable:  --attempts to revive the sagging economy//  -- sag n  [U and C] //  --a sag in the mattress//


Words: saga
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Old Norse]//\n  1 a long and complicated series of events, or a description of this:  --The whole saga began back in May.//  saga of//  --She launched into the saga of her on-off engagement.//\n  2 a long story about events that happen over many years:  saga of//  --a saga of four generations of the Coleman family//\n  3 one of the stories written about the Vikings of Norway and Iceland:


Words: sagacious
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: sagax  ’quick in understanding’]//  able to understand and judge things very well//   wise//  -- sagaciously adv //


Words: Sagan
Meaning:
Carl   (1934-97) a US  astronomer (=a scientist who studies the stars) , who was especially interested in discovering whether there were living creatures in other parts of the universe. He made a popular series of television programmes about the universe, called  Cosmos.//


Words: sage
Meaning:
n   [Sense: 1; Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sauge, from  Latin salvia, from  salvus;   SAFE1]//  [Sense: 2; Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  SAGE2]//\n  1 [U] a herb with grey-green leaves:\n  2 [C]  literary someone, especially an old man, who is very wise:\nsage 2 adj  literary   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Vulgar Latin sapius, from  Latin sapere;   SAPIENT]//  very wise, especially as a result of a lot of experience//  --sage advice//  -- sagely adv //


Words: saggy
Meaning:
adj  informal   something that is saggy hangs down or bends more than it should//  --The bed was saggy in the middle.//


Words: Sagittarius
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: ’someone who shoots an arrow’, from  sagitta  ’arrow’]//\n  1 [U] the ninth sign of the zodiac, represented by an animal that is half horse and half human, which some people believe affects the character and life of people born between November 23 and December 21:\n  2  also  Sagittarian:   [C] someone who was born between November 23 and December 21//  -- Sagittarian adj //


Words: sago
Meaning:
n [U]  BrE   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Malay; Origin: sagu]//  small white grains obtained from some palm trees, used to make sweet dishes with milk//


Words: Sahara
Meaning:
the Sahara//   also the Sahara Desert //  the world’s largest desert, which covers a very large area of North Africa//


Words: sahib
Meaning:
n   used in India, especially during the period of British rule, when talking to a man in authority//  --Good morning, sahib!//


Words: said
Meaning:
v   the past tense and past participle of say1//\nsaid 2 adj [only before noun]  law   mentioned before//  --The said weapon was later found in the defendant’s home.//


Words: Saigon
Meaning:
the former name of Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam. It was the capital of South Vietnam when the country was divided in two, and it was badly damaged during the  Vietnam War.//


Words: sail
Meaning:
S3   v \n  1 [I always +adverb/preposition, T] to travel on or across an area of water in a boat or ship:  sail across/into/out of etc//  --the first Europeans to sail across the Atlantic//  --Three tall ships sailed past.//  --She always wanted to sail around the world .//  sail the Pacific/the Atlantic etc //  --We’re taking two months off to sail the Caribbean.//\n  2 [I] to start a journey by boat or ship:  --We sail at dawn.//  sail for//  --They’re sailing for Antigua next week.//\n  3 [I and T] to direct or control the movement of a boat or ship that has a sail:  --Blake sailed the ship safely through the narrow passage.//  --My father taught me to sail.//\n  4 [I always +adverb/preposition] to move quickly and smoothly through the air:  sail through/over/into etc//  --A ball came sailing over the fence.//\n  5 [I always +adverb/preposition] to move forwards gracefully and confidently:  --She sailed into the room.//\n  6  sail close to the wind:   BrE to do or say something that is nearly wrong, illegal, or dishonest//  sail through [sail through sth] phr v//  to succeed very easily in a test, examination etc//  --Adam sailed through his final exams.//\nsail 2 n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: segl]//\n  1 a large piece of strong cloth fixed onto a boat, so that the wind will push the boat along:  --a yacht with white sails//  hoist/lower the sails (=put the sails up or down) //\n  2  set sail:  to begin a journey by boat or ship//  set sail for/from//  --The following week the ’Queen Elizabeth’ set sail for Jamaica.//\n  3  under sail:   literary moving along on a ship or boat that has sails//


Words: sailing
Meaning:
n   1 [U] the sport or activity of travelling in or directing a small boat with sails//  --Bud has invited us to go sailing this weekend.//\n  2 [C] a time when a ship leaves a port:  --Luckily, there was another sailing at 2 o’clock.//    be plain sailing at plain1 (9)//


Words: sailor
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 someone who works on a ship:  --Six British sailors drowned.//  --We were both experienced sailors.//\n  2  bad/good sailor:  someone who does or does not feel sick when they are on a boat or ship//


Words: sailor suit
Meaning:
n [C]   a blue and white suit that looks like an old-fashioned sailor’s uniform, worn by small boys//


Words: saint
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Late Latin sanctus, from  Latin,  ’holy’, from the past participle of  sancire  ’to confirm, make holy’]//\n  1  written abbreviation St :   or St. //  someone who is given the title ’saint’ by the Christian church after they have died, because they have been very good or holy//  --Saint Patrick//  --the saints in heaven//\n  2  informal someone who is extremely good, kind, or patient:  --His wife must have been a saint to put up with him for all those years.//\n  3  the patience of a saint:  a very large amount of patience//  --You need the patience of a saint for this job.//


Words: Saint John
Meaning:
one of Jesus Christ’s  disciples (=his close friends and followers) , who wrote several of the books of the New Testament of the Bible:  The Gospel according to St John, which describes the life and teaching of Jesus, the three  Epistles of John, and  The Book of Revelation. He is sometimes called St John the Evangelistor St John the Divine.//


Words: Saint John the Baptist
Meaning:
(about 12 BC-28 AD) a religious teacher in the New Testament of the Bible who  baptized Jesus in the river Jordan//


Words: Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
Meaning:
the largest Roman Catholic church in the US. It is in New York City on Fifth Avenue and was built between 1858 and 1879//


Words: Saint Paul’s Cathedral
Meaning:
a  cathedral in central London, which is the largest Protestant church in the UK and one of the best-known buildings in London. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1676 and 1710. A previous cathedral in the same place was destroyed in the Great Fire of London (1666).//


Words: Saint Peter
Meaning:
the leader of Jesus Christ’s twelve  disciples (=his close friends and followers) , who became the leader of the first Christians. He is considered by Catholics to be the first  Pope, and Christians think of him as being in charge of the keys of the gates to Heaven. He is sometimes called Simon Peter.//


Words: Saint Peter’s
Meaning:
the largest Christian church in the western world, in the Vatican City in Rome, built in the 16th century.  It is the most important church in the Roman Catholic religion, and the artist Michelangelo was one of its main designers.//


Words: Saint Peter’s Square
Meaning:
the very large square outside Saint Peter’s in Rome, where thousands of people gather to hear the Pope give special messages at Christmas and Easter//


Words: Saint Swithin’s Day
Meaning:
July 15th. According to an old British tradition, if it rains on Saint Swithin’s Day it will rain for the next 40 days.//


Words: Saint Valentine’s Day
Meaning:
also  Valentine’s Day   February 14th, when traditionally people send a  valentine (=special card)  to someone they love, often without saying who the card is from. They may also send flowers, especially red roses, or other presents as a sign of love.//


Words: Saint-Sa[hA16C]ns
Meaning:
Camille   (1835-1921) a French  composer whose works include  Carnival of the Animals, the  Organ Symphony, and the  opera Samson and Delilah//


Words: sainted
Meaning:
adj  literary \n  1 having been made a saint by the Christian church:\n  2  old-fashioned used when talking about a dead person:  --my sainted mother, God rest her soul//\n  3  my sainted aunt!:   BrE  old-fashioned used to express surprise or shock//  --My sainted aunt! Whatever next?//


Words: saintly
Meaning:
adj   completely good and honest, with no faults//  --She led a saintly and blameless life.//  -- saintliness n  [U] //


Words: sake
Meaning:
W3S2   n [U] \n  1  for the sake of sb/sth:   also for sb’s/sth’s sake //  in order to help, improve, or please someone or something//  --He moved to the seaside for the sake of his health.//  --I only went for Kay’s sake.//  --I hope he’s told the truth for his own sake  (=because it will be good for him) .//\n  2  for God’s/Christ’s/goodness’/Heaven’s etc sake:   spoken //  a) used when you are telling someone how important it is to do something or not to do something//  --For goodness sake, don’t be late!//  b) used to show that you are angry or annoyed//  --What is it now, for God’s sake?//\n  3  for the sake of it:  if you do something for the sake of it, you do it because you want to and not for any particular reason//  --She likes spending money just for the sake of it.//\n  4  for its own sake:   also sth for sth’s sake //  if something is done for its own sake, it is done for the value of the experience itself, not for any advantage it will bring//  --art for art’s sake//\n  5  for the sake of argument:   spoken if you say something for the sake of argument, what you say may not be true but it will help you to have a discussion//  --Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that you’ve got [hA124]200 to invest.//\nsake 2   n [U]   a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice//


Words: Sakharov
Meaning:
Andrei   (1921-89) a Russian  physicist who helped to develop the Soviet  hydrogen bomb and who was also a  dissident (=someone who criticizes his country’s government and is badly treated because of his beliefs) . He won the  Nobel Peace Prize in 1975, but the Soviet government would not allow him to travel to Norway to receive it. He was sent away from Moscow as a punishment, until Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet president and allowed him to return.//


Words: Saki
Meaning:
the name used by the British writer H.H. Munro (1870-1916), who wrote amusing short stories which often had unexpected endings//


Words: salacious
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: salax  ’liking to jump, full of sexual desire’, from  salire  ’to jump’]//  showing too much interest in sex//  --the media’s love of salacious gossip //  -- salaciously adv //  -- salaciousness n  [U] //


Words: salad
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: salade, from  Old Proven[hA168]al salada, from  salar  ’to add salt to’, from  sal  ’salt’]//\n  1 a mixture of raw vegetables, especially lettuce, cucumber, and tomato:  --Would you like some salad with your pasta?//  --a spinach salad//  toss a salad (=mix it all together, usually with a dressing) //\n  2 raw or cooked food cut into small pieces and served cold:  fruit/potato salad //  ----------//  HINT sense 1 //  Salad is a type of cold food made from vegetables. The green leafy vegetable that you often use in salads is called  lettuce. //  ----------//


Words: salad bar
Meaning:
n [C]   a place in a restaurant with different vegetables that you can choose to make your own salad//


Words: salamander
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: salamandre, from  Latin salamandra, from  Greek]//  a small animal similar to a lizard, which lives on land and in the water//


Words: salami
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Italian; Origin: salare  ’to add salt to’, from  sale  ’salt’]//  a large sausage with a strong taste that is eaten cold//


Words: salaried
Meaning:
adj   receiving money every month for the work you do, rather than for every week or every hour//  --salaried workers//


Words: salary
Meaning:
W3   n   plural  salaries  [U and C] //  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Latin; Origin: salarium  ’money to pay for salt’, from  sal  ’salt’]//  money that you receive as payment from the organization you work for, usually paid to you every month//    wage, pay//  --The average salary is $39,000 a year.//  --people with high salaries //  be on a salary of sth (=be earning a particular amount) //  --She’s on a salary of [hA124]16,000.//  monthly/annual/yearly salary //  --Parker’s annual salary is just under $48,000.//  basic/base salary //  --a $56,000 a year base salary//   see usage note  pay2 //


Words: salaryman
Meaning:
n   plural  salarymen /-men/ [C] //  a man who works in an office, often for many hours each day, and receives a salary as payment, especially in Japan//


Words: sale
Meaning:
W1S2   n   [Date: 1000-1100; Language: Old Norse; Origin: sala]//\n  1 [U and C] when you sell something:  sale of//  --The use and sale of marijuana remains illegal.//  --Harvey gets a $50 commission every time he makes a sale  (=sells something as part of his job) .//  --Car salesmen will often bring down the price rather than lose a sale  (=fail to sell something) .//  --arms sales to Iran//\n  2  sales:  a)  [plural] the total number of products that are sold during a particular period of time//  --Britain’s retail sales  (=all the things sold to the public in shops) jumped 3.2 percent in April.//  sales of//  --Sales of automobiles are up this year.//  --We did not reach our summer sales targets .//  --The company no longer releases its sales figures  (=how much money it makes or loses from sales) .//  in sales//  --We grossed more than $500,000 in sales last year.//  b)  [U] the part of a company that deals with selling products//  --She found a job in sales.//  --a sales manager//  --a worldwide sales force of 1,100//\n  3  for sale:  available to be bought//  --Excuse me, are these for sale?//  --There was a ’for sale’ sign in the yard.//  --Reluctantly, they put the family home up for sale  (=made it available to be bought) .//\n  4  on sale:  a) available to be bought in a shop//  --A wide range of postcards and other souvenirs are on sale in the visitors’ centre.//  --Stephen King’s new novel will go on sale  (=will begin to be sold) next week.//  b)  especially AmE available to be bought at a lower price than usual//  --These gloves were on sale for only $9.//\n  5 [C] a period of time when shops sell their goods at lower prices than usual:  --Marsdon’s department store is having a sale this week.//  the sales  BrE  (=when all the shops have a sale) //  --I picked up some real bargains in the January sales this year.//\n  6 [C] an event at which things are sold to the person who offers the highest price:   auction//  --a sale of 17th century paintings//\n  7  sales drive/campaign:  when a company makes a special effort to try to increase the amount of its products that it sells//  --We launch a new sales campaign this fall.//\n  8  sales pitch/talk:  the things that someone says when they are trying to persuade you to buy something//\n  9  (on) sale or return:   BrE if a shop buys something on sale or return, it can return the goods that it is unable to sell//    bill of sale,  jumble sale,  point of sale//


Words: saleable
Meaning:
salable/se[hA366]l[hA353]b[hA368]l/ adj   something that is saleable can be sold, or is easy to sell//  --a saleable commodity//  -- saleability/se[hA366]l[hA353]b[hA366]l[hA369]ti/ n  [U] //


Words: Salem
Meaning:
a town in Massachusetts in the eastern US, famous for the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, when many women were taken to a court of law and then officially killed because they were thought to be witches (=women who use magic powers to do bad things) . People sometimes use the word ’witch-hunt’ to describe situations in which innocent people are punished for things they did not do or for having opinions that other people do not approve of, especially the situation in the US when the  HUAC punished people who were believed to be Communists.//


Words: sales representative
Meaning:
also sales rep  n [C]   someone who travels around, usually within a particular area, selling their company’s products//


Words: sales slip
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a small piece of paper that you are given in a shop when you buy something//   receipt//


Words: sales tax
Meaning:
n [U and C]   a tax that you have to pay in addition to the cost of something you are buying//    VAT//


Words: salesman
Meaning:
n   plural  salesmen /-m[hA353]n/ [C] //  a man whose job is to persuade people to buy his company’s products//  computer/car/insurance etc salesman //


Words: salient
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: , present participle of  salire  ’to jump’]//  the salient points or features of something are the most important or most noticeable parts of it//  --the salient points of the report//  -- salience n  [U] //


Words: saline
Meaning:
adj  medical   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: salinus, from  sal  ’salt’]//  containing or consisting of salt//  --saline solution//  -- salinity/s[hA353]l[hA366]n[hA369]ti/ n  [U] //\nsaline 2 n [U]   a special mixture of water and salt//


Words: Salinger
Meaning:
J. D.   (1919- ) a US writer who wrote  The Catcher in the Rye, one of the most famous and popular US novels ever written//


Words: Salisbury
Meaning:
a city in southern England famous for its large 13th century  cathedral, which attracts many tourists//


Words: Salisbury Plain
Meaning:
a large piece of open country in southern England, used by the army as a training area.  Stonehenge, a structure of stone circles from 2500-1500 BC, is on Salisbury Plain.//


Words: saliva
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin]//  the liquid that is produced naturally in your mouth//   spit//


Words: salivate
Meaning:
v [I] \n  1 to produce more saliva in your mouth than usual, especially because you see or smell food:\n  2 to look at or show interest in something or someone in a way that shows you like or want them very much - used to show disapproval:  salivate at/over//  --The media are salivating over the story.//  -- salivation/s[zB024]l[hA369]ve[hA366][hA35D][hA368]n/ n  [U] //


Words: Salk
Meaning:
Jonas   (1914-95) a US scientist who produced the first successful  vaccine (=a substance that is put into a person’s body to protect them from a disease)  against  polio (=a serious disease that damages muscles permanently) //


Words: sallow
Meaning:
adj   [Language: Old English; Origin: salu]//  sallow skin looks slightly yellow and unhealthy//  sallow face/skin/complexion //  --a woman with dark hair and a sallow complexion//  -- sallowness n  [U] //


Words: sally
Meaning:
n   plural  sallies  [C]  formal //  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Old French; Origin: saillie, from  saillir  ’to run forward’, from  Latin salire  ’to jump’]//\n  1 a sudden quick attack and return to a position of defence:\n  2 an intelligent remark that is intended to amuse people:\nsally 2 v   past tense and past participle  sallied present participle  sallying third person singular  sallies //  sally forth phr v//  to go out in order to do something, especially something that you expect to be difficult or dangerous - often used humorously//  --Each morning they sallied forth in search of jobs.//


Words: salmon
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Anglo-French; Origin: salmun, from  Latin salmo]//\n  1 [C] :  plural  salmon a large fish with silver skin and pink flesh that lives in the sea but swims up rivers to lay its eggs//\n  2 [U] this fish eaten as food:  fresh/smoked salmon //\n  3 [U] a pink-orange colour:


Words: salmonella
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Modern Latin; Origin: , from Daniel E.  Salmon (1850-1914), U.S. scientist]//  a kind of bacteria in food that makes you ill//  --a case of salmonella poisoning //


Words: Salome
Meaning:
in the New Testament of the Bible, the  stepdaughter of King  Herod who performed a dance called the  dance of the seven veils. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that he said she could have anything she wanted. She asked him to give her the head of  John the Baptist on a plate, which he did.//


Words: salon
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin:  SALOON]//\n  1 a shop where you can get your hair washed, cut, curled etc:   hairdresser’s//  hair/beauty salon //  --an exclusive hair salon in central London//\n  2 a shop where fashionable and expensive clothes are sold:\n  3  old-fashioned a room in a very large house where people can meet and talk:\n  4 a regular meeting of famous people at which they talk about art, literature, or music, popular in the past in France:  --a literary salon//


Words: saloon
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: French; Origin: salon, from  Italian salone  ’large hall’, from  sala  ’hall’]//\n  1 a public place where alcoholic drinks were sold and drunk in the western US in the 19th century:   bar//\n  2  BrE  also saloon bar :  a comfortable room in a pub//   lounge bar//\n  3  BrE  also saloon car :  a car that has a separate enclosed space for your bags etc//  American Equivalent:  sedan//  --a four-door family saloon//    estate car//\n  4 a large comfortable room where passengers on a ship can sit and relax:


Words: salsa
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Spanish; Origin: ’sauce’, from  Latin;   SAUCE]//\n  1 a type of Latin American dance music:\n  2 a sauce made from onions, tomatoes and chillies that you put on Spanish or Mexican food:


Words: SALT
Meaning:
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks talks between the US and the former Soviet Union, which aimed to reach agreement about limiting the number of  nuclear weapons that each country kept. Two SALT Treaties (=official agreements) were signed: SALT I (1972) and SALT II (1979).//


Words: salt
Meaning:
W3S2   n   [Language: Old English; Origin: sealt]//\n  1 [U] a natural white mineral that is added to food to make it taste better or to preserve it:  --This might need some salt and pepper.//  --a pinch of salt  (=a very small amount) //  --Could you pass the salt?//\n  2  the salt of the earth:  someone who is ordinary but good and honest//\n  3  take sth with a pinch/grain of salt:   informal to not completely believe what someone tells you, because you know that they do not always tell the truth//  --Most of what he says should be taken with a pinch of salt.//\n  4 [C]  technical a type of chemical substance that is formed when an acid is combined with a base:    Epsom salts,  smelling salts,  old salt,  rub salt into sb’s wounds at rub1 (7),  worth his/her salt at worth1 (10)//\nsalt 2 v [T usually passive] \n  1 to add salt to food to make it taste better:  --salted peanuts//\n  2  also salt down :  to add salt to food to preserve it//  salted pork/meat/fish //  --The meat is salted to store it through the winter.//\n  3 to put salt on the roads to prevent them from becoming icy:  salt away [salt sth → away] phr v//  to save money for the future, especially dishonestly by hiding it//  --She salted the money away in a secret account.//\nsalt 3 adj [only before noun] \n  1 preserved with salt:  --salt pork//\n  2  salt water:  water that contains salt, especially naturally in the sea//\n  3 consisting of salt water:  --a salt lake//


Words: salt cellar
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  cellar from  Old French salliere, from  Latin salarium, from  sal  ’salt’]//  a small container for salt//  American Equivalent:  salt shaker//


Words: salt truck
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a large vehicle that puts salt or sand on the roads in winter to make them less icy//  British Equivalent:  gritter//


Words: saltpetre
Meaning:
BrE  saltpeter AmE   n [U]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: salpetre, from  Medieval Latin sal petrae  ’salt of the rocks’]//  a substance used in making gunpowder (=powder that causes explosions)  and matches//


Words: saltwater
Meaning:
adj [only before noun] \n  1 living in salty water or in the sea:  → freshwater//  --saltwater fish//\n  2 containing salt water:  → freshwater//  --a saltwater lake//


Words: salty
Meaning:
adj \n  1 tasting of or containing salt:  --a slightly salty taste//  --salty foods//\n  2  AmE  old-fashioned language, a story, or a joke that is salty is amusing and often about sex:


Words: salubrious
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: salubris, from  salus;   SALUTE1]//  a salubrious area or place is pleasant and clean, especially compared to other places - often used humorously//  --the less salubrious area near the docks//


Words: salutary
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: salutaire, from  Latin salutaris, from  salus;   SALUTE1]//  a salutary experience is unpleasant but teaches you something//  salutary experience/lesson/reminder etc //  --Losing money in this way taught young Jones a salutary lesson.//


Words: salutation
Meaning:
n  formal \n  1 [C] a word or phrase used at the beginning of a letter or speech, such as ’Dear Mr. Smith’:\n  2 [U and C] something you say or do when greeting someone:


Words: salute
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: salutare, from  salus  ’health, safety, greeting’]//\n  1 [I and T] to move your right hand to your head, especially in order to show respect to an officer in the army, navy etc:  --The two soldiers saluted Lieutenant Cecil.//  --The men jumped to their feet and saluted.//\n  2 [T]  formal to praise someone for the things they have achieved, especially publicly:  salute sb as sth//  --James Joyce was saluted as the greatest writer of the 20th century.//\n  3 [T]  old-fashioned to greet someone in a polite way, especially by moving your hand or body:\nsalute 2 n \n  1 [C] an act of raising your right hand to your head as a sign of respect, usually done by a soldier to an officer:  --As they left, the Corporal gave them a respectful salute.//  in salute//  --The officer raised his hand in salute.//\n  2 [U and C] something that expresses praise to someone for something they have achieved, or that expresses honour or respect to someone or something:  in salute//  --Everyone at the table raised their glasses in salute.//  salute to//  --His first words were a salute to the people of South Africa.//\n  3 [C] an occasion when guns are fired into the air in order to show respect for someone important:  --a 21-gun salute//


Words: salvage
Meaning:
v [T] \n  1 to save something from an accident or bad situation in which other things have already been damaged, destroyed, or lost:  --Divers hope to salvage some of the ship’s cargo.//  salvage sth from sth//  --They managed to salvage only a few of their belongings from the fire.//\n  2 to make sure that you do not lose something completely, or to make sure that something does not fail completely:  --He fought to salvage the company’s reputation .//\nsalvage 2 n [U]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: Old French salver;   SAVE1]//\n  1 when you save things from a situation in which other things have already been damaged, destroyed, or lost:  --a massive salvage operation //\n  2 things that have been saved from an accident, especially when a ship has sunk:


Words: salvation
Meaning:
S3   n [U]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Late Latin salvatio, from  salvare;   SAVE1]//\n  1 something that prevents or saves someone or something from danger, loss, or failure:  be sb’s/sth’s salvation//  --A drug treatment program was Ron’s salvation.//  salvation of//  --The Internet turned out to be the salvation of the company.//\n  2 in the Christian religion, the state of being saved from evil:


Words: salve
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: sealf]//  a substance that you put on sore skin to make it less painful//  --lip salve//\nsalve 2 v [T]  formal   salve your conscience//  if you do something to salve your conscience, you do it to make yourself feel less guilty//  --Buying his wife flowers helped to salve his conscience.//


Words: salver
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: salve, from  Spanish salva  ’testing of food to check for poison, large metal plate on which tested food was given to the king’, from  salvar  ’to save, test food’, from  Late Latin salvare;   SAVE1]//  a large metal plate used for serving food or drink at a formal meal//  --a silver salver//


Words: salvo
Meaning:
n   plural  salvos  or  salvoes  [C usually singular]  formal //  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Italian; Origin: salva, from  French salve, from  Latin, a greeting, from  salvere  ’to be healthy’, from  salvus;   SAFE1]//\n  1 [+ of] when several guns are fired during a battle or as part of a ceremony:\n  2  opening salvo:  the first in a series of questions, statements etc that you use to try to win an argument//  --Congressman Saunders fired the opening salvo during a heated debate on capital punishment.//\n  3 sudden laughter, applause etc from many people at the same time:


Words: Salzburg
Meaning:
a city in Austria famous for the music  festival that takes place there every year, and for being the place where Mozart was born//


Words: Samaritan
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  From the Bible story of a person from Samaria (an area of ancient Palestine) who stopped and helped a man who had been attacked and robbed]//  good Samaritan//  someone, especially a stranger, who helps you when you have problems or need something//


Words: Samaritans
Meaning:
the   a British organization that offers a free telephone service that people who are very sad, worried, or confused can call to talk to someone. The Samaritans listen to people who feel uncomfortable talking to someone they know about their problems, or who feel so unhappy that they want to kill themselves.//


Words: samba
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Portuguese]//  a fast dance from Brazil, or the type of music played for this dance//


Words: same
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   ----------//\n   1 not different:\n   2 not changing:\n   3 at the same time:\n   4 amount/come to the same thing:\n   5 the same old story/excuse etc:\n   6 same difference:\n   7 by the same token:\n   8 be in the same boat:  ----------//  [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: samr]//\n  1 NOT DIFFERENT:  a) the same person, place, thing etc is one particular person etc and not a different one//  --He sits in the same chair every night.//  --They went to the same school.//  same as//  --She was born on the same day as me.//  --It is those same people who voted for the Democrats who now complain about their policies.//  the very same/the self-same (=the same person or thing and not a different one - used to emphasize that what you are saying seems surprising) //  --We stood in front of the very same house in which Shakespeare wrote his plays.//  b) used to say two or more people, things, events etc are exactly like each other//  --Both women were wearing the same dress.//  --The same thing could happen again.//  same as//  --He gets the same pay as me but he gets his own office.//  just/exactly the same //  --That’s funny, Simon said exactly the same thing.//  --The furniture is made in much the same  (=almost the same) way as it was 200 years ago.//\n  2 NOT CHANGING:  used to say that a particular person or thing does not change//  --Her perfume has always had the same effect on me.//  --He’s the same old Peter - moody and irritable.//\n  3  at the same time:  a) if two things happen at the same time, they both happen together//  --Kate and I both went to live in Spain at the same time.//  b) used when you want to say that something else is also true//  --We don’t want to lose him. At the same time, he needs to realise that company regulations must be obeyed.//\n  4  amount/come to the same thing:  to have the same result or effect//  --It doesn’t matter whether she was happy to leave or not. It amounts to the same thing - she’s gone.//\n  5  the same old story/excuse etc:   informal something that you have heard many times before - used especially to show disapproval//  --It’s the same old story - his wife didn’t really love him.//\n  6  same difference:   spoken used to say that different actions, behaviour etc have the same result or effect//  --’I could mail the letter or send a fax in the morning.’ ’Same difference. It still won’t get there on time.’//\n  7  by the same token:   formal for the same reasons - used when you want to say that something else is also true, especially something very different or surprising//  --I realise that he hasn’t come up with any new ideas, but by the same token we haven’t needed any.//\n  8  be in the same boat:  to be in the same difficult situation that someone else is in//  --Others in her profession are in the same boat.//\nsame 2 pron \n  1  the same:  a) used to say that two or more people or things are exactly like each other//  --The coins may look the same but one’s a forgery.//  the same as//  --Your measurements are  exactly the same  as Dana’s.//  --Thanks for your help - I’ll do the same for you one day.//  b) used to say that a particular person or thing does not change//  --Things just won’t be the same without Sam.//\n  2  (and the) same to you!:   spoken //  a) used as a reply to a greeting//  --’Merry Christmas!’ ’And the same to you Ben.’//  b) used as an angry reply to a rude remark//  --’Up yours!’ ’Same to you!’//\n  3  just/all the same:  in spite of a particular situation, opinion etc//  --I realise she can be very annoying, but I think you should apologise all the same.//\n  4  all the same:  in spite of something that you have just mentioned//  --I’m not likely to run out of money, but all the same, I’m careful.//\n  5  it’s all the same to sb:  used to say that someone does not mind what decision is made, would be pleased with any choice, or does not really care//  --If it’s all the same to you, I’ll go this weekend.//\n  6  same here:   spoken used to say that you feel the same way as someone else//  --’I’m exhausted.’ ’Same here!’//\n  7  (the) same again:  used to ask for another drink of the same kind//\n  8  more of the same:  another person, thing etc like the one just mentioned//  --He has produced a string of thrillers, and this movie is just more of the same.//    one and the same at one2 (18)//  ----------//  GRAMMAR //  Same  usually has  the before it :  They both gave the same reasons for leaving.| All the shirts looked the same.  //  You can also use  this  or that before  same  when it is used as an adjective, to emphasize it : At that same moment the telephone rang. //  !! Same  never has  a before it : We went to the same school (NOT a same school). //  !!  You can say that one thing is the same as another. Do not use  like or with : His answer was the same as mine (NOT the same like/with mine). //  ----------//\nsame 3 adv \n  1  the same (as):  in the same way//  --’Rain’ and ’reign’ are pronounced the same even though they are spelt differently.//  --Everyone had to dress the same as a well-known historical figure.//\n  2  same as sb:   spoken just like someone else//  --I have my pride, same as anyone else.//


Words: same-sex
Meaning:
adj   same-sex marriage/relationship etc//  a marriage, relationship etc between two men or two women//   homosexual//


Words: Samoa
Meaning:
a group of islands in the South Pacific, including Savai’i and Upolu. Until 1997, it was called Western Samoa. Population: 179,058 (2001). Capital: Apia.//  -- Samoan n  adj //


Words: samosa
Meaning:
n [C]   a type of Indian food made from meat or vegetables covered in thin pastry and cooked in hot oil//


Words: samovar
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Russian; Origin: samo-  ’self’ +  varit’  ’to boil’]//  a large metal container used in Russia to boil water for making tea//


Words: sampan
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Chinese; Origin: sanban, from  san  ’three’ +  ban  ’board, plank’]//  a small boat used in China and Southeast Asia//


Words: sample
Meaning:
W2S3   n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: essample, from  Latin exemplum;   EXAMPLE]//\n  1 a small part or amount of something that is examined in order to find out something about the whole:  sample of//  --I’d like to see some samples of your work.//  --They took a blood sample to test for hepatitis.//\n  2 a small amount of a product that people can try in order to find out what it is like:  sample of//  --samples of a new shampoo//\n  3 a small group of people who have been chosen from a larger group to give information or answers to questions:  --The sample consisted of 98 secondary school teachers.//  --Out of a random sample of drivers, 21% had been in an accident in the previous year.//  --a nationally representative sample of over 950 elderly persons//\n  4 a small part of a song from a CD or record that is used in a new song:  --Her latest album makes extensive use of samples from a wide range of acid jazz tracks.//\nsample 2 v [T] \n  1 to taste food or drink in order to see what it is like:  --a chance to sample the local food//\n  2 to choose some people from a larger group in order to ask them questions or get information from them:  --18% of the adults sampled admitted having had problems with alcohol abuse.//\n  3 to try an activity, go to a place etc in order to see what it is like:  --Here’s your chance to sample the delights of country life.//\n  4 to use a small part of a song from a CD or record in a new song:  --Many of his songs have been sampled by other artists.//


Words: sampler
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a machine that can record sounds or music so that you can change them and use them for a new piece of music:\n  2 a piece of cloth with different stitches on it, made to show how good someone is at sewing:


Words: Samson
Meaning:
in the Old Testament of the Bible, a very strong man who is a great fighter. A woman called  Delilah finds out that his strength comes from his long hair, and she uses her sexual power to trick Samson into having his hair cut off. This allows his enemies, the  Philistines, to make him a prisoner and blind him. His strength returns when his hair grows again, and he destroys the Philistines’  temple by pulling down the  pillars that hold the roof up, killing himself and his enemies.//


Words: samurai
Meaning:
n   plural  samurai  [C] //  [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Japanese]//  a member of a powerful military class in Japan in the past//  -- samurai adj //  --a samurai sword//


Words: San Andreas fault
Meaning:
the San Andreas fault//  a crack in the Earth’s surface which goes from the north to the south of California in the western US. The large areas of rock on either side of this crack are slowly moving in different directions, and this sometimes causes  earthquakes.//


Words: San Diego
Meaning:
a city in southern California, US, which is a port, an industrial centre, and a base for the US navy//


Words: San Francisco
Meaning:
a city and port in California, US. It is a very beautiful city, built on hills next to a  bay (=an area of sea that curves inwards towards the land)  on the Pacific Ocean. Its famous areas include Chinatown, where many people live whose families originally came from China, the  Golden Gate Bridge, and the prison island of  Alcatraz. The city is close to the San Andreas fault, and was almost destroyed by the great  earthquake and fire of 1906.//


Words: sanatorium
Meaning:
n   plural  sanatoria /-ri[hA353]/ [C]  old-fashioned //  [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Modern Latin; Origin: Late Latin sanatorius  ’acting as a cure’, from  Latin sanare  ’to cure’, from  sanus;   SANE]//  a type of hospital for sick people who are getting better after a long illness but still need rest and a lot of care//


Words: sanctify
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  sanctified present participle  sanctifying third person singular  sanctifies  [T] //  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sanctifier, from  Late Latin sanctificare, from  Latin sanctus;   SAINT]//\n  1 to make something seem morally right or acceptable or to give something official approval:  --The rule of the Czar was sanctified by the Russian Orthodox Church.//\n  2 to make something holy:  -- sanctification/s[zB024][hA26E]kt[hA369]f[hA369]ke[hA366][hA35D][hA368]n/ n  [U] //


Words: sanctimonious
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin: sanctimony  ’sanctimoniousness’ (16-21 centuries), from  Latin sanctimonia  ’holiness’, from  sanctus;   SAINT]//  behaving as if you are morally better than other people, in a way that is annoying - used to show disapproval//  --sanctimonious politicians preaching about family values//  -- sanctimoniously adv //  -- sanctimoniousness n  [U] //


Words: sanction
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin sanctio, from  sancire;   SAINT]//\n  1  sanctions [plural] official orders or laws stopping trade, communication etc with another country, as a way of forcing its leaders to make political changes:  sanctions against//  --US sanctions against Cuba//  --a resolution to impose sanctions  (=start using sanctions) on North Korea//  --the threat of trade sanctions //  --The UN security council may impose economic sanctions .//  --Any talk about lifting sanctions  (=ending them) is premature.//\n  2 [U]  formal official permission, approval, or acceptance:  --Apparently, the aide had acted without White House sanction.//\n  3 [C]  formal a form of punishment that can be used if someone disobeys a rule or law:  --the harshest possible sanction which could be imposed//\nsanction 2 v [T]  formal \n  1 to officially accept or allow something:   approve//  --The church refused to sanction the king’s second marriage.//\n  2  be sanctioned by sth:  to be made acceptable by something//  --a barbaric custom, but one sanctioned by long usage//


Words: sanctity
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sainctete, from  Latin sanctitas, from  sanctus;   SAINT]//\n  1  the sanctity of life/marriage etc:  the quality that makes life, marriage etc so important that it must be respected and preserved//  --the sanctity of the Constitution//\n  2  formal the holy or religious character of a person or place:    sacred//  --an aura of sanctity//


Words: sanctuary
Meaning:
n   plural  sanctuaries //  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sainctuarie, from  Late Latin sanctuarium, from  Latin sanctus;   SAINT]//\n  1 [C] an area for birds or animals where they are protected and cannot be hunted:   refuge//  bird/wildlife etc sanctuary //  --The park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the US.//  sanctuary for//  --a sanctuary for tigers//\n  2 [U and C] a peaceful place that is safe and provides protection, especially for people who are in danger:   refuge//  find/seek sanctuary //  --Fleeing refugees found sanctuary in Geneva.//  sanctuary for//  --a sanctuary for battered women//\n  3 [C] the part of a religious building that is considered to be the most holy:\n  4 [C]  AmE the room in a religious building where religious services take place:\n  5 [U] the right that people had under Christian law, especially in the past, to be protected from police, soldiers etc by staying in a church:


Words: sanctum
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Late Latin; Origin: Latin sanctus;   SAINT]//\n  1  inner sanctum:  a private place or room that only a few important people are allowed to enter - often used humorously//  --Occasionally she would be allowed into the inner sanctum of his office.//\n  2 a holy place inside a temple:


Words: Sanctus
Meaning:
the   a prayer or  hymn (=song of praise to God)  which is said or sung as part of the  mass in Christian churches//


Words: Sand
Meaning:
George   (1804-76) a French female writer of  novels, whose real name was Amandine Aurore Dupin. She is famous for her long relationship with the  composer Chopin, and for wearing men’s clothes to show her belief that women should have the same rights as men.//


Words: sand
Meaning:
W3   n   hourglass, sand//  [Language: Old English; Origin:]//\n  1 [U] a substance consisting of very small pieces of rocks and minerals, that forms beaches and deserts:  --a mixture of sand and cement//  --I have sand in my shoe.//\n  2 [U and C] an area of beach:  --miles of golden sands//  --We were just sitting on the sand.//\n  3  the sands of time:   literary moments of time that pass quickly//\nsand 2 v   [I and T]  also sand down //  to make a surface smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper or using a special piece of equipment//


Words: sandal
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: sandalium, from  Greek, from  sandalon]//  a light shoe that is fastened onto your foot by bands of leather or cloth, and is worn in warm weather//  --a pair of sandals//


Words: sandalwood
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: sandal  ’sandalwood’ (14-20 centuries) (from  Medieval Latin sandalum, from  Late Greek, from  Sanskrit candana) +  wood]//  pleasant-smelling wood from a Southern Asian tree, or the oil from this wood//


Words: sandbag
Meaning:
n [C]   a bag filled with sand, used for protection against floods, explosions etc//\nsandbag 2 v   past tense and past participle  sandbagged present participle  sandbagging //\n  1 [I and T] to put sandbags around a building in order to protect it from a flood or explosion:\n  2 [T] to treat someone unfairly in order to prevent them from doing something or being successful:


Words: sandblast
Meaning:
v [T]   to clean or polish metal, stone, glass etc with a machine that sends out a powerful stream of sand//


Words: sandbox
Meaning:
n [C]  especially AmE   a small box filled with sand for children to play in//  British Equivalent:  sandpit//


Words: Sandburg
Meaning:
Carl   (1878-1967) a US writer and poet who won  Pulitzer Prizes for his books about the life of Abraham  Lincoln and for his poetry, which is typically about cities and industry//


Words: sander
Meaning:
n  also sanding machine  [C]   an electric tool with a rough surface that moves very quickly, used for making surfaces smooth, especially the surface of wood//


Words: Sandhurst
Meaning:
the Royal Military Academy in the village of Sandhurst in southern England, which trains officers for the British army. Sandhurst is the best known and most respected military college in the UK.//  --The senior officers were mostly Sandhurst men.//


Words: Sandinistas
Meaning:
the  n [plural]   a  left-wing political organization in Nicaragua in central America, who gained power in 1979 and got rid of the  dictator Somoza. They were the government of Nicaragua until they were defeated in elections in 1990. The Sandinistas were strongly opposed by the US, which provided money, weapons, and military training to a  right-wing opposition group called the  Contras.//


Words: sandlot
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   an area of empty land in a town or city, where children often play sports or games//  --a sandlot ball game//


Words: sandpaper
Meaning:
n [U]   strong paper covered on one side with sand or a similar substance, used for rubbing wood in order to make the surface smooth//\nsandpaper 2 v [T]   to rub something with sandpaper//


Words: sandpit
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a box or special area filled with sand for children to play in//  American Equivalent:  sandbox//


Words: Sandringham
Meaning:
also Sandringham House   a large house in Norfolk in the east of England, where the British royal family lives for part of the year, especially around Christmas//


Words: sandtrap
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a hollow place on a golf course, filled with sand, from which it is difficult to hit the ball//  British Equivalent:  bunker//


Words: sandwich
Meaning:
S2   n   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin:  Earl of  Sandwich (1718-92), who ate sandwiches so that he could continue gambling without leaving the table]//\n  1 [C] two pieces of bread with cheese, meat, vegetables, cooked egg, etc between them:  --a ham sandwich//\n  2 [C]  BrE a cake consisting of two layers with jam and cream between them:  --a raspberry sponge sandwich//    club sandwich,  open sandwich//\nsandwich 2 v [T usually passive]   to be in a very small space between two other things//  be sandwiched in/between sb/sth//  --A layer of transparent material is sandwiched between the pieces of glass.//


Words: sandwich board
Meaning:
n [C]   two boards with advertisements on them that hang in front and behind someone who is paid to walk around in public//


Words: sandwich course
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a course of study at a British college or university that includes periods spent working in industry or business//


Words: sandy
Meaning:
adj \n  1 covered with sand or containing a lot of sand:  --The soil is quite sandy.//\n  2 hair that is sandy is a yellowish-brown colour:  -- sandiness n  [U] //


Words: sane
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: sanus  ’healthy, sane’]//\n  1 able to think in a normal and reasonable way:  → insane, mentally ill//    sanity//  --He seems perfectly sane  (=completely sane) to me.//  --No sane person would want to kill a baby.//\n  2 reasonable and based on sensible thinking:  --a sane and sensible approach to gun control//\n  3  keep sb sane:   also stay/remain sane //  to stop someone from thinking about their problems and becoming upset//  --The only thing that kept me sane was music.//  -- sanely adv //


Words: sang-froid
Meaning:
n [U]  literary   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: French; Origin: ’cold blood’]//  courage and the ability to keep calm in dangerous or difficult situations//


Words: Sanger
Meaning:
Margaret   (1883-1966) a US woman who started the first birth control center in the US, to help women control the number of children they had//


Words: sangria
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Spanish; Origin: sangr[hA16E]a  ’bleeding, sangria’, from  sangre  ’blood’]//  a Spanish drink made from red wine, fruit, and fruit juice//


Words: sanguine
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: sanguin, from  Latin sanguineus, from  sanguis  ’blood’]//  happy and hopeful about the future//   optimistic//  sanguine about//  --Other economists are more sanguine about the possibility of inflation.//  --a sanguine view//


Words: sanitary
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: sanitaire, from  Latin sanitas;   SANITY]//\n  1 [only before noun] relating to the ways that dirt, infection, and waste are removed, so that places are clean and healthy for people to live in:   hygienic//  --Diseases were spread through poor sanitary conditions .//  --a prison with no proper sanitary facilities  (=toilets) //\n  2 clean and not causing any danger to people’s health:  → insanitary//  --Often, the camps were not very sanitary.//


Words: sanitary pad
Meaning:
also sanitary towel  BrE sanitary napkin  AmE n [C]   a special piece of soft material that a woman wears in her underwear for the blood when she has her period//


Words: sanitation
Meaning:
n [U]   the protection of public health by removing and treating waste, dirty water etc//  --Overcrowding and poor sanitation are common problems in prisons.//


Words: sanitation worker
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE  formal   someone who removes waste material that people put outside their houses//   garbage man//


Words: sanitize
Meaning:
also sanitise  BrE   v [T] \n  1 to remove particular details from a report, story etc in order to make it less offensive, unpleasant, or embarrassing - used especially to show disapproval:  --the sanitized version of events which was reported in the government-controlled media//\n  2 to clean something thoroughly, removing dirt and bacteria:


Words: sanity
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: sanitas  ’health, sanity’, from  sanus;   SANE]//\n  1 the condition of being mentally healthy:  → insanity//    sane//  --I began to doubt his sanity.//  --She wondered if she was losing her sanity .//\n  2 when someone or something is being reasonable and sensible:    sane//  --Sanity appears to be returning to the stock market.//  regain/get back/recover your sanity //  --I took a vacation to try to recover my sanity.//


Words: sans
Meaning:
prep   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin sine]//  without - usually used humorously//  --He came to the door sans shirt.//


Words: Sanskrit
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Sanskrit; Origin: samskrta  ’made perfect’]//  an ancient language of India//


Words: Santa Claus
Meaning:
n  also Santa  [singular]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Dutch; Origin: Sinterklaas, from  Sint Nikolaas  ’Saint Nicholas’, patron saint of children]//  an imaginary old man with red clothes and a long white beard who, children believe, brings them presents at Christmas//  British Equivalent:  Father Christmas//


Words: Santa Fe
Meaning:
the capital city of New Mexico, which is a popular place for tourists to visit. Mexicans and Native Americans played an important part in its history and  culture.//


Words: Santa Fe Trail
Meaning:
the Sante Fe Trail//  an important road in the West of the US, starting in Missouri and ending in Santa Fe, which was used in the 19th century by American  settlers//


Words: Santa Maria
Meaning:
one of the three ships which sailed to America with Christopher Columbus in 1492. The other two ships were the Ni[hA172]a and the Pinta//


Words: Santa Monica
Meaning:
a city close to Los Angeles in southwest California in the US. It has a beautiful beach that people like to visit, and has many art  galleries and artists’ studios//


Words: Santiago
Meaning:
the capital and largest city of Chile, in South America, which is the country’s industrial and financial centre//


Words: Santiago de Compostela
Meaning:
a city in northwest Spain, where the body of St James, one of Jesus Christ’s  disciples is supposed to be buried. It is famous as a place which  pilgrims (=people making a religious journey)  have visited for hundreds of years.//


Words: sap
Meaning:
n   [Language: Old English; Origin: s[zB024]p]//\n  1 [U] the watery substance that carries food through a plant:\n  2 [C]  informal a stupid person who is easy to deceive or treat badly:\nsap 2   past tense and past participle  sapped present participle  sapping  v [T] //  to make something weaker or destroy it, especially someone’s strength or their determination to do something//   weaken//  sap sb’s strength/courage/energy //  --Her long illness was gradually sapping Charlotte’s strength.//


Words: sapient
Meaning:
adj  literary   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin, present participle of  sapere  ’to taste, have good taste, be wise’]//  very wise//


Words: sapper
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  SAP1]//  a soldier whose job involves digging and building//


Words: sapphic
Meaning:
adj  literary   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: saphique, from  Greek, from  Sappho female Greek poet of around 600BC who wrote love poems to women]//   lesbian//


Words: sapphire
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: safir, from  Latin, from  Greek, from  Hebrew sappir, from  Sanskrit sanipriya  ’dear to the planet Saturn’]//  a transparent bright blue jewel//


Words: Sappho
Meaning:
(6th century BC) an ancient Greek poet who lived on the island of Lesbos. Her poems are mostly about love and personal feelings, including love between women, and she is especially admired by  lesbians.//


Words: sappy
Meaning:
adj \n  1  AmE expressing love and emotions in a way that seems silly:  British Equivalent:  soppy//  --a sappy song//\n  2 full of sap (=liquid in a plant) :


Words: Saracen
Meaning:
n [C]  old use   [Date: 800-900; Language: Late Latin; Origin: Saracenus, from  Late Greek Sarakenos]//  a Muslim - used in the Middle Ages//


Words: Sarajevo
Meaning:
the capital city of Bosnia Herzegovina. Many battles between Serbs and Bosnian Muslims were fought there in the 1990s during the  Bosnian War, and much of the city was destroyed. During the war, Sarajevo was under  siege by the Bosnian Serb army who surrounded it and would not let any people out or any food or goods in. It is also the place where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was murdered in 1914, an event which led to the start of World War I.//


Words: Saran Wrap
Meaning:
n [U]  AmE  trademark   thin transparent plastic used for wrapping food//  British Equivalent:  clingfilm//


Words: sarcasm
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: sarcasme, from  Late Latin, from  Greek sarkasmos, from  sarkazein  ’to tear flesh, bite your lip angrily, sneer’, from  sarx  ’flesh’]//  a way of speaking or writing that involves saying the opposite of what you really mean in order to make an unkind joke or to show that you are annoyed//  --’Good of you to arrive on time,’ George said, with heavy sarcasm  (=very clear sarcasm) .//  hint/trace/edge/touch of sarcasm //  --There was just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.//


Words: sarcastic
Meaning:
adj   saying things that are the opposite of what you mean, in order to make an unkind joke or to show that you are annoyed//  --Was she being sarcastic?//  sarcastic remark/comment/question //  --He can’t help making sarcastic comments.//  sarcastic manner/smile/laugh etc //  --’I thought so,’ she said with a sarcastic smile.//  -- sarcastically/-kli/ adv //  --’Oh good,’ he said sarcastically.//


Words: sarcophagus
Meaning:
n   plural  sarcophagi  [C] //  [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: sarcophagus (lapis)  ’stone for making coffins’, from  Greek (lithos) sarkophagos  ’flesh-eating stone’, from  sarx  ’flesh’]//  a decorated stone box for a dead body, used in ancient times//


Words: sardine
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: Latin sardina]//\n  1 [C] a small young fish that is often packed in flat metal boxes when it is sold as food:\n  2  be packed like sardines:  to be crowded tightly together in a small space//  --commuters packed like sardines on the evening train//


Words: Sardinia
Meaning:
a large island which is part of Italy, south of Corsica and west of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea//


Words: sardonic
Meaning:
adj  written   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: sardonique, from  Greek sardonios, from  sardanios; influenced by  Sardonios  ’Sardinian’, because of a plant from Sardinia (an Italian island) which causes the face to twist into a smile]//  showing that you do not have a good opinion of someone or something, and feel that you are better than them//  --He looked at her with sardonic amusement.//  -- sardonically/-kli/ adv //


Words: Sargent
Meaning:
John Singer   (1856-1925) a US artist who lived and worked mainly in London and who painted many paintings of rich and important people//


Words: sari
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Hindi; Origin: Sanskrit sati]//  a long piece of cloth that you wrap around your body like a dress, worn especially by women from India//


Words: Sark
Meaning:
one of the  Channel Islands between England and France. It is politically part of the UK, but it also has its own parliament. There are no cars on Sark.//


Words: sarong
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Malay]//  a loose skirt consisting of a long piece of cloth wrapped around your waist, worn especially by people in Malaysia and Indonesia//


Words: sarsaparilla
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Spanish; Origin: zarzaparrilla, from  zarza  ’bush’ +  parrilla  ’small vine’]//  a sweet drink without alcohol, made from the root of the sassafras plant//


Words: sartorial
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Latin; Origin: sartorius, from  sartor  ’someone who makes clothes’]//  relating to clothes, especially the style of clothes that a man wears - used especially humorously//  --a man of great sartorial elegance //  -- sartorially adv //


Words: Sartre
Meaning:
Jean-Paul   (1905-80) a French  philosopher who also wrote novels, plays, and short stories. He was a leading influence in the development of  existentialism, and is one of the best-known philosophers of the 20th century. His novels include the  trilogy (=a series of three books)  Les chemins de la liberte (translated as  Roads to Freedom). He is also famous for his long relationship with the  feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir, and for his  left wing political views and his support for student protests in France in 1968.//


Words: SAS
Meaning:
n   the SAS//   the Special Air Service a British military force that is specially trained to do secret and dangerous work//


Words: SASE
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   self-addressed stamped envelope an envelope that you put your name, address, and a stamp on, so that someone else can send you something//  British Equivalent:  SAE//


Words: sash
Meaning:
n [C]   [Sense: 1; Date: 1500-1600; Language: Arabic; Origin: shash  ’fine cloth’]//  [Sense: 2; Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  Probably from  French ch[hA163]ssis;   CHASSIS]//\n  1 a long piece of cloth that you wear around your waist like a belt:\n  2 a long piece of cloth that you wear over one shoulder and across your chest:


Words: sash window
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a window consisting of two frames that you open by sliding one up or down, behind or in front of the other//


Words: sashay
Meaning:
preposition]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: chasse, from the past participle of  chasser;   CHASE1]//  to walk in a confident way, moving your body from side to side, especially so that people look at you//  sashay around/along/down etc//  --Models sashayed down the aisle.//


Words: sashimi
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Japanese]//  a type of Japanese food consisting of small pieces of fresh fish that have not been cooked//


Words: Sasquatch
Meaning:
another name for  bigfoot, an animal like a human which some people claim to have seen in the northwestern US//


Words: sass
Meaning:
v [T]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: sassy]//  to talk in a rude way to someone you should respect//  --Don’t you sass me, young lady!//


Words: sassafras
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Spanish; Origin: sasafras]//  a small Asian or North American tree, or the pleasant-smelling roots of this tree that are used in food and drink//


Words: sassy
Meaning:
adj  AmE   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: saucy]//\n  1 a child who is sassy is rude to someone they should respect:  British Equivalent:  cheeky//\n  2 someone, especially a woman, who is sassy is confident and does not really care what other people think about her:


Words: SAT
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1  trademark  Scholastic Aptitude Test an examination that American high school students take before they go to college:  -- SAT scores have been steadily decreasing.//\n  2  SATs:   Standard Assessment Test examinations that students in schools in England and Wales take at the ages of 7, 11, and 14, to see whether they have reached the standard set by the National Curriculum//


Words: satanic
Meaning:
adj \n  1 relating to practices that treat the Devil like a god:  satanic ritual/cult/rite //  --The children were abused as part of a satanic ritual.//\n  2  literary extremely cruel or evil:  --satanic laughter//  -- satanically/-kli/ adv //


Words: Satanic Verses
Meaning:
The   (1988) a novel by Salman  Rushdie which caused great offence to people whose religion is Islam and caused the Ayatollah Khomeini to give a fatwa, which was an order that Rushdie should be killed.//


Words: satchel
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sachel, from  Latin sacellus, from  saccus;   SACK1]//  a leather bag that you carry over your shoulder, used especially in the past by children for carrying books to school//


Words: sated
Meaning:
adj  literary   feeling that you have had enough or too much of something, especially food or pleasure//   full//  -- sate v  [T] //  --He had sated his lust.//


Words: satellite
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: Latin satelles  ’personal servant or guard’]//\n  1 a machine that has been sent into space and goes around the Earth, moon etc, used for radio, television, and other electronic communication:  --the launch of a communications and weather satellite//  via/by satellite//   (=using a satellite) //  --This broadcast comes live via satellite from New York.//\n  2 a natural object that moves around a planet:  --The moon is a satellite of the Earth.//\n  3 a country, area, or organization that is controlled by or is dependent on another larger one:  --the former Soviet satellite country of Lithuania//\n  4 a town that has developed next to a large city:  --We stayed in Aurora, a satellite suburb of Chicago.//


Words: satellite television
Meaning:
also satellite TV  n [U]   television programmes that are broadcast using satellites in space, and which you need a special piece of equipment to be able to watch//


Words: satiate
Meaning:
v [T usually passive]  literary   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: , past participle of  satiare, from  satis  ’enough’]//  to satisfy a desire or need for something such as food or sex, especially so that you feel you have had too much//  -- satiated adj //  -- satiation/se[hA366][hA35D]ie[hA366][hA35D][hA368]n/ n  [U] //


Words: satin
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: , probably from  Arabic zaytuni, from  Zaytun ancient Chinese port (probably Tsinkiang)]//  a type of cloth that is very smooth and shiny//  --a red satin ribbon//\nsatin 2 adj   having a smooth shiny surface//  --The new paints are available in gloss and satin finishes.//


Words: satire
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: Latin satura,  satira, from  (lanx) satura  ’full plate, mixture’, from  satur;   SATURATE]//\n  1 [U] a way of criticizing something such as a group of people or a system, in which you deliberately make them seem funny so that people will see their faults:  --the characteristic use of satire in Jonson’s work//  political/social satire //  --a comedy group that does political satire//\n  2 [C] a piece of writing, film, play etc that uses this type of criticism:  satire on//  --a satire on American politics//  savage/stinging/vicious/biting satire //  --a biting satire of the television industry//  -- satirical/s[hA353]t[hA366]r[hA366]k[hA368]l/ adj //  --a well-known satirical magazine//  -- satiric adj //  -- satirically/-kli/ adv //


Words: satirize
Meaning:
also  satirise BrE   v [T]   to use satire to make people see someone’s or something’s faults//  --a play satirizing the fashion industry//


Words: satisfaction
Meaning:
W3S3   n \n  1 [U and C] a feeling of happiness or pleasure because you have achieved something or got what you wanted:  → dissatisfaction//  --She got great satisfaction from helping people to learn.//  --a task which offered him little personal satisfaction //  --Do you feel a sense of satisfaction at the end of the working day?//  --He allowed himself a little smile of satisfaction .//  --’I’ve passed all my exams’, he announced with satisfaction.//  --Care-giving can be a source of enormous satisfaction .//  --The survey found that men got greater satisfaction from caring for their families than they did from work.//  --At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that he was right.//  --Finance officials expressed satisfaction with the recovery of the dollar.//  --I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how upset I was.//  -- people who enjoy reasonably high job satisfaction //\n  2  to sb’s/sth’s satisfaction:  if something is done to someone’s satisfaction, it is done as well or as completely as they want, so they are pleased//  --The question could not be resolved, at least not to my satisfaction.//\n  3 [U] when you get money or an apology from someone who has treated you badly or unfairly:  --I got no satisfaction from the customer complaints department.//\n  4 [U]  formal when someone gets something that they want, need, or have demanded:  satisfaction of//  --the satisfaction of basic human needs//  --sexual satisfaction//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  great/deep/real satisfaction //  personal satisfaction //  sense/feeling of satisfaction //  smile/sigh/look of satisfaction //  with/in satisfaction //  a source of satisfaction (=something that makes you satisfied) //  get/gain/derive satisfaction from something //  have the satisfaction of doing something //  express satisfaction (with/at something) //  give somebody the satisfaction of doing something //  job satisfaction (=enjoyment of your job) //  grim satisfaction (=when you have achieved or got something but do not really feel happy about it) //  ----------//


Words: satisfactory
Meaning:
adj   something that is satisfactory seems good enough for you, or good enough for a particular situation or purpose//   acceptable//  → unsatisfactory//  --His progress this term has been satisfactory.//  satisfactory to/for//  --an arrangement that is satisfactory to both sides//  satisfactory explanation/answer //  --There seems to be no satisfactory explanation.//  perfectly/entirely/wholly satisfactory //  --None of the solutions was entirely satisfactory.//  satisfactory result/outcome/resolution //  --Our aim is to achieve a satisfactory outcome for everyone.//  -- satisfactorily adv //  --The question has not been satisfactorily answered.//


Words: satisfied
Meaning:
S3   adj \n  1 pleased because something has happened in the way that you want, or because you have got what you want:  → dissatisfied//  --a satisfied smile//  --They have plenty of satisfied customers .//  --Will she ever be satisfied?//  satisfied with//  --I’m not satisfied with the way he cut my hair.//  completely/fully/totally/entirely satisfied //  --If you’re not completely satisfied, you can get your money back.//\n  2 feeling sure that something is right or true:  satisfied that//  --He was satisfied that he had done nothing wrong.//\n  3  (are you) satisfied?:   spoken used to say in an annoyed way that you agree to do something that you do not really want to do//  --Okay, okay, I’ll ask him this afternoon. Satisfied?//    self-satisfied//


Words: satisfy
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  satisfied present participle  satisfying third person singular  satisfies  [T] //  [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: satisfier, from  Latin satisfacere, from  satis  ’enough’ +  facere  ’to make’]//\n  1 to make someone feel pleased by doing what they want:  --Nothing I did would ever satisfy my father.//\n  2 if you satisfy someone’s needs, demands etc, you provide what they need or want:  satisfy sb’s needs/demands/desires //  --The program is designed to satisfy the needs of adult learners.//  satisfy sb’s hunger/appetite (=give someone enough food to stop them from feeling hungry) //  --A salad won’t be enough to satisfy my appetite.//  --Just to satisfy my curiosity  (=find out something) , how much did it cost?//\n  3  formal to make someone feel sure that something is right or true:   convince//  satisfy sb of sth//  --Jackson tried to satisfy me of his innocence.//  satisfy yourself (that)//  --Having satisfied herself that no one was there, she closed the door.//\n  4  formal to be good enough for a particular purpose, standard etc:  --Have you satisfied all the requirements for the general degree?//


Words: satisfying
Meaning:
adj \n  1 making you feel pleased and happy, especially because you have got what you wanted:  → unsatisfying//  --a deeply satisfying feeling//  it is satisfying (to do sth)//  --It can be very satisfying to work in the garden.//\n  2 food that is satisfying makes you feel that you have eaten enough:  --a satisfying meal//  -- satisfyingly adv //


Words: saturate
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: , past participle of  saturare, from  satur  ’having had enough’]//\n  1  formal to make something very wet:   soak//  → dry//  --Water poured through the hole, saturating the carpet.//\n  2 to put a lot of something into a particular place, especially so that you could not add any more:  saturate sth with sth//  --Our culture is saturated with television and advertising.//\n  3  saturate the market:  to offer so much of a product for sale that there is more than people want to buy//\n  4  technical to mix as much of a solid into a chemical mixture as possible:\nsaturate 2   n [C usually plural]   a type of fat from meat or milk products that is thought to be less healthy than other kinds of fat from vegetables or fish//   saturated fat//  --Choose a type of spread that’s lower in saturates than butter.//


Words: saturated
Meaning:
adj \n  1 extremely wet:   soaked//  → dry//  saturated with//  --a T-shirt saturated with sweat//\n  2  technical if a chemical mixture is saturated, it has had as much of a solid mixed into it as possible:


Words: saturated fat
Meaning:
n [U and C]   a type of fat from meat and milk products that is thought to be less healthy than other kinds of fat from vegetables or fish//


Words: saturation
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 when an event or person is given so much attention by newspapers, television etc that everyone has heard about it:  --The trial was given saturation coverage by the press.//  --saturation advertising//\n  2  saturation bombing:  a military attack in which a whole area is bombed//\n  3  technical the degree to which something has been mixed into something else:  --Keep saturation below 80%.//\n  4 when something is made completely wet:


Words: saturation point
Meaning:
n [C usually singular] \n  1 a situation in which no more people or things can be added because there are already too many:  --The number of summer tourists in the area has reached saturation point .//\n  2  technical the state that a chemical mixture reaches when it has had as much of a solid substance mixed into it as possible:


Words: Saturday
Meaning:
n [U and C]  written abbreviation Sat.   [Date: 800-900; Origin:  Translation of  Latin Saturni dies  ’day of Saturn’]//  the day between Friday and Sunday//  on Saturday//  --We went for a picnic on Saturday.//  --The festivities begin Saturday.American English//  Saturday morning/afternoon etc //  --They arrived in Paris on Saturday evening.//  last Saturday //  --I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.//  this Saturday //  --What are you doing this Saturday?//  next Saturday (=Saturday of next week) //  --Ask her yourself next Saturday.//  a Saturday//   (=one of the Saturdays in the year) //  --It was a crazy idea to go to the store on a Saturday.//


Words: Saturday Evening Post
Meaning:
The   a popular US family magazine that started in 1821 and continued until 1969. It contained news, short stories, humorous  cartoons and  reviews. Pictures by Norman  Rockwell often appeared on its cover.//


Words: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Meaning:
a novel (1958) by British writer Alan Sillitoe, about a young man, Arthur Seaton, who works in a factory. On Saturday nights he goes out,  drinking a lot in pubs and has an affair with the wife of one of his friends. He was considered an example of the  Angry Young Man of that time.//


Words: Saturday Night Fever
Meaning:
(1977) a US film in which John  Travolta appears as a young man who is very good at  disco dancing. The music, played by the  Bee Gees, and the clothes in the film, are typical of the 1970s.//


Words: Saturday Night Live
Meaning:
a humorous US television programme which started in the 1970s, on which many well-known  comedians first appeared//


Words: saturnalia
Meaning:
n [C]  literary   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: saturnalis  ’of the god Saturn’]//  an occasion when people enjoy themselves in a very wild and uncontrolled way//


Words: saturnine
Meaning:
adj  literary   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: saturnin, from  Medieval Latin saturninus  ’influenced by the planet Saturn’]//  looking sad and serious, especially in a threatening way//  --his lean saturnine face//


Words: satyr
Meaning:
n [C]  literary   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: satyrus, from  Greek satyros]//  a god in ancient Greek stories, represented as half human and half goat//


Words: sauce
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin salsa, from  sallere  ’to add salt to’, from  sal  ’salt’]//\n  1 [U and C] a thick cooked liquid that is served with food to give it a particular taste:  tomato/cheese/wine etc sauce //  --vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce//  --spaghetti sauces//\n  2 [U]  BrE  old-fashioned rude remarks made to someone that you should respect:  --Less of your sauce, my girl!//\n  3  what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander:  used to say that if one person is treated in a particular way, other people should be treated in the same way//


Words: sauce boat
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a container that has a handle and is shaped like a boat, used for serving sauce with a meal//


Words: saucepan
Meaning:
n [C]   a deep round metal container with a handle that is used for cooking//   pan//  --Heat the oil and garlic in a large saucepan.//


Words: saucer
Meaning:
n [C]   cup, saucer, teapot//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: saussier  ’plate for sauce’, from  sausse,  sauce;   SAUCE]//  a small round plate that curves up at the edges that you put a cup on//  --a delicate china cup and saucer //


Words: saucy
Meaning:
adj  old-fashioned   saucy jokes, remarks etc are about sex in a way that is amusing but not shocking//  --saucy postcards//  -- saucily adv //  -- sauciness n  [U] //


Words: Saudi Arabia
Meaning:
an oil-producing country in the Middle East, ruled by a king. Population: 22,757,000 (2001). Capital: Riyadh. The city of  Mecca, the holiest place in the religion of Islam, is in Saudi Arabia.//  -- Saudi Arabian n  adj //


Words: sauerkraut
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: German; Origin: sauer  ’sour’ +  kraut  ’cabbage’]//  a German food made from cabbage (=a round green vegetable)  that has been left in salt so that it tastes sour//


Words: sauna
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Finnish]//\n  1 a room that is heated to a very high temperature by hot air, where people sit because it is considered healthy:\n  2 a period of time when you sit or lie in a room like this:  have/take a sauna //  --I have a sauna and massage every week.//


Words: saunter
Meaning:
preposition]   to walk in a slow relaxed way, especially so that you look confident or proud//    stroll//  saunter along/around/in etc//  --He came sauntering down the road with his hands in his pockets.//  -- saunter n  [singular] //


Words: sausage
Meaning:
S3   n [U and C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old North French; Origin: saussiche, from  Late Latin salsicia, from  Latin salsus  ’salted’]//\n  1 a small tube of skin filled with a mixture of meat, spices etc, eaten hot or cold after it has been cooked:  --pork sausages//\n  2  not a sausage!:   BrE  old-fashioned  informal nothing at all//  --’Have you heard from Tom yet?’ ’No, not a sausage!’//


Words: saute
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: , past participle of  sauter  ’to jump’]//  to cook something in a little hot oil or fat//    fry//  --Saute the onions for 5 minutes.//  -- saute adj  BrE //  --saute potatoes//


Words: savage
Meaning:
adj   ----------//\n   1 violent:\n   2 criticizing:\n   3 severe:\n   4 people:  ----------//  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: sauvage, from  Medieval Latin salvaticus, from  Latin silvaticus  ’of the woods, wild’, from  silva  ’forest’]//\n  1 VIOLENT:  very violent or cruel//  --a savage dog//  --a savage murder//\n  2 CRITICIZING:  criticizing someone or something very severely//  --a savage attack on the government//\n  3 SEVERE:  very severe//  --The government has announced savage cuts in spending.//  --a savage storm//\n  4 PEOPLE:   [only before noun]  old-fashioned  not polite an offensive word used to describe people who have a simple, traditional way of life//  --a savage tribe//  -- savagely adv //  --He was savagely attacked and beaten.//  -- savageness n  [U] //\nsavage 2 n [C]  old-fashioned  not polite   a very offensive word for someone who has a simple, traditional way of life//\nsavage 3 v [T] \n  1 if an animal such as a dog savages someone, it attacks them and injures them badly:\n  2 to criticize someone or something very severely:  --The Prime Minister was savaged by the press for failing to take action quickly enough.//


Words: savagery
Meaning:
n   plural  savageries  [U and C] //  extremely cruel and violent behaviour//  --Local people were shocked by the savagery of the attack.//


Words: savanna
Meaning:
savannah/s[hA353]v[zB024]n[hA353]/ n [U and C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Spanish; Origin: zavana, from  Taino zabana]//  a large flat area of grassy land, especially in Africa//


Words: savant
Meaning:
n [C]  formal   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: French; Origin: , present participle of  savoir  ’to know’]//\n  1 someone who knows a lot about a subject:\n  2 someone who has mental problems and may have lower intelligence than average, but who can do one thing very well, such as adding numbers very quickly:


Words: save
Meaning:
v   ----------//\n   1 from harm/danger:\n   2 money:\n   3 not waste:\n   4 to use later:\n   5 collect:\n   6 help to avoid:\n   7 keep for somebody:\n   8 computer:\n   9 sport:\n  10 you saved my life:\n  11 save somebody’s skin/neck/bacon:\n  12 save the day:\n  13 save face:\n  14 saving grace:\n  15 somebody can’t do something to save his/her life:\n  16 save your breath:\n  17 save somebody from themselves:\n  18 religion:  ----------//  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: salver, from  Late Latin salvare, from  Latin salvus;   SAFE1]//\n  1 FROM HARM/DANGER:   [T] to make someone or something safe from danger, harm, or destruction//    rescue//  --Emergency aid could save millions threatened with starvation.//  --a new treatment that could save his life //  --She was determined to save her marriage.//  --the campaign to save the rainforests//  save sb/sth from sth//  --He saved the child from drowning.//\n  2 MONEY:   also save up //   [I and T] to keep money in a bank so that you can use it later, especially when you gradually add more money over a period of time//  --He managed to save enough to buy a small house.//  --So far, I’ve saved about [hA124]500.//  save for//  --I’m saving up for a new car.//    saver//\n  3 NOT WASTE:   [T]  also save on sth //  to use less money, time, energy etc so that you do not waste any//  → waste//  --We’ll save a lot of time if we go by car.//  --Everyone is being encouraged to save energy.//  --an attempt to save on costs//  --ways to save money on heating bills//  energy-saving/time-saving etc //  --money-saving ideas//\n  4 TO USE LATER:   [T] to keep something so that you can use or enjoy it in the future//  --We’ll save the rest of the food and have it later.//  save sth for sth//  --I had a bottle of champagne which I’d been saving for a special occasion.//\n  5 COLLECT:   [T]  also save sth → up //  to keep all the objects of a particular kind that you can find, so that you can use them//  --I’m saving up vouchers to get a cheap air ticket to the States.//\n  6 HELP TO AVOID:   [T] to help someone by making it unnecessary for them to do something that they do not want to do//  --If you lent me [hA124]5, it would save me a trip to the bank.//  save sb doing sth//  --I’ll take the shopping home in the car to save you carrying it.//  save sb the trouble/bother (of doing sth) //  --I’ll get a taxi from the station to save you the trouble of coming to collect me.//\n  7 KEEP FOR SOMEBODY:   [T] to stop people from using something so that it is available for someone else//  --Will you save me a seat?//  save sth for sb//  --We’ll save some dinner for you if you’re late.//\n  8 COMPUTER:   [I and T] to make a computer keep the work that you have done on it//  --Don’t forget to save before you close the file.//  --Did you save the changes that you made?//\n  9 SPORT:   [I and T] to stop the other team from scoring in a game such as football//  --The goalkeeper just managed to save the shot.//\n  10  you saved my life:   spoken used to thank someone who has helped you out of a difficult situation or solved a problem for you//  --Thanks again for the loan - you really saved my life.//\n  11  save sb’s skin/neck/bacon:   informal to help someone to escape from an extremely difficult or dangerous situation//  --He lied in court to save his own skin.//\n  12  save the day:  to stop things from going badly and make a situation end successfully//  --A local businessman saved the day by donating [hA124]30,000 to the school.//\n  13  save face:  to do something that will stop you from looking stupid or feeling embarrassed//  --A compromise must be found which will allow both sides in the dispute to save face.//    face-saving//\n  14  saving grace:  the one good thing that makes someone or something acceptable//  --His sense of humour was his only saving grace.//\n  15  sb can’t do sth to save his/her life:   informal to be completely unable to do something//  --He couldn’t draw to save his life!//\n  16  save your breath:   spoken used to tell someone that it is not worth saying anything, because nothing they say will make any difference to the situation//  --I tried to explain, but she told me to save my breath.//\n  17  save sb from themselves:  to prevent someone from doing something that they want to do but that you think is harmful//\n  18 RELIGION:   [I and T] in the Christian church, to free someone from the power of evil and bring them into the Christian religion//  --Jesus came to save sinners.//\nsave 2 n [C]   an action in which a player in a game such as football prevents the other team from scoring//  --Martin made a brilliant save from Nichol’s shot.//\nsave 3 prep  also save for  formal   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: sauf, from  sauf (adjective);   SAFE1]//  except//  --She answered all the questions save one.//  save that//  --Little is known about his early life, save that he had a brother.//


Words: Save the Children Fund
Meaning:
the  also Save the Children   an international  charity organization which helps children all over the world, especially in poorer countries. Its president is Princess Anne.//


Words: saver
Meaning:
n [C]   someone who saves money in a bank//  --Mutual funds have been attractive to small savers  (=people who save small amounts of money) .//


Words: Savile Row
Meaning:
a street in London where there are many clothes shops for men. They sell traditional, often hand-made suits, which are considered to be of high quality.//  --a Savile Row suit//


Words: saving
Meaning:
W3   n \n  1  savings [plural] all the money that you have saved, especially in a bank:  --Buying a house had taken all their savings.//\n  2 [C] an amount of money that you have not spent, or an amount of something that you have not used:  --The new engines will lead to savings in fuel.//  saving of//  --This represents a saving of [hA124]60,000 for the company.//  --All small companies will need to make savings if they are going to survive.//\n  3 [U] when you save money rather than spend it:    save1 (2)//


Words: savings account
Meaning:
n [C]   a bank account in which you keep money that you want to save for a period of time, and which pays you interest on the money you have in it//    checking account, current account//


Words: savings and loan
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a business, similar to a bank, that lends money, and into which you pay money that you want to save//  British Equivalent:  building society//


Words: savings bond
Meaning:
n [C]  technical   a bond that is sold by the US government and that cannot be sold from one person to another//


Words: saviour
Meaning:
BrE  savior AmE   n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: saveour, from  Late Latin salvator, from  salvare;   SAVE1]//  someone who saves you from a difficult or dangerous situation//  saviour of//  --He was seen by many as the saviour of the organization.//


Words: savoir-faire
Meaning:
n [U]  formal   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: ’knowing how to do’]//  the ability to do and say the right things in social situations//


Words: savory
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: savoure, past participle of  savourer, from  savour;   SAVOR2]//  the American spelling of savoury//\nsavory 2 n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: satureia]//  [U] a plant that is used in cooking to add taste to meat and other food//


Words: savour
Meaning:
BrE  savor AmE   v [T] \n  1 to fully enjoy the taste or smell of something:  --She sipped her wine, savouring every drop.//\n  2 to fully enjoy a time or experience:  --She savoured her few hours of freedom.//  --He hesitated, savouring the moment.//  savour of [savour of  sth] phr v//  to seem to involve something bad or to have some of a bad quality//  --We must avoid anything that savours of corruption.//\nsavour 2  BrE  savor AmE n [singular, U]  formal \n  1 a pleasant taste or smell:  --the sweet savour of wood smoke//\n  2 interest and enjoyment:  --Life seemed to have lost its savour for him.//


Words: savoury
Meaning:
BrE  savory AmE   adj \n  1  BrE savoury food tastes of salt:  → sweet//  --savoury party snacks//  --pancakes with sweet and savoury fillings//\n  2 a savoury smell or taste is strong and pleasant but is not sweet:\n  3  not very savoury/none too savoury:  unpleasant or morally unacceptable//    unsavoury//  --Some of the customers in the pub looked none too savoury.//\nsavoury 2   plural  savouries  n [C]  BrE //  a small piece of food with a salty taste that is served at a party//  --plates of cakes and savouries//


Words: savvy
Meaning:
n [U]  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: savvy  ’to know’ (18-21 centuries), from  Spanish sabe  ’he or she knows’, from  saber  ’to know’]//  practical knowledge and ability//  --He’s obviously got a lot of political savvy.//\nsavvy 2 adj  AmE  informal   someone who is savvy is clever and knows how to deal with situations successfully//  --savvy consumers//


Words: saw
Meaning:
the past tense of see//\nsaw 2 n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: sagu]//\n  1 a tool that you use for cutting wood. It has a flat blade with an edge cut into many V shapes:\n  2 a short, familiar phrase or sentence that is considered to contain some truth about life:   proverb, saying//  --That reminds me of the old saw about being careful about what you wish for.//\nsaw 3   past tense  sawed past participle  sawn /s[hA350][hA359]n $ s[hA361][hA359]n/ or  sawed  AmE  v [I and T] //  to cut something using a saw//  --She was in the back yard sawing logs.//  saw through//  --He sawed through a power cable by mistake.//  saw at [saw at sth] phr v//  to cut something with a repeated backwards and forwards movement//  --He sawed at the loaf with a blunt knife.//  saw off [saw sth → off] phr v//  to remove something by cutting it off with a saw//  --We sawed off the dead branches.//  saw up [saw sth → up] phr v//  to cut something into many pieces, using a saw//  --The tree was cut down and sawn up for logs.//


Words: sawbuck
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE  old-fashioned  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: sawbuck  ’sawhorse’ (19-20 centuries), from  Dutch zaagbok; probably because the end of some types of sawhorse looks like a Roman number X (= 10)]//  a piece of paper money worth $10//


Words: sawn-off shotgun
Meaning:
BrE sawed-off shotgun  AmE n [C]   a shotgun whose barrel (=long thin tube)  has been cut short so that it is easier to hide//


Words: Sawyer
Meaning:
Tom   the main character in the book  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) by Mark  Twain, who is a brave and clever boy, but often gets into difficult or dangerous situations. His best friend is Huckleberry  Finn.//


Words: Saxon
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Late Latin; Origin: Saxones  ’Saxons’]//  a member of the race of people from northern Europe that came to live in England in the 5th century//  -- Saxon adj //


Words: saxophone
Meaning:
informal  [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: , from Adolphe  Sax (1814-94), Belgian musician who invented the instrument]//  a curved musical instrument made of metal that you play by blowing into it and pressing buttons, used especially in popular music and jazz//


Words: say
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  said /sed///  third person singular  says /sez///  ----------//\n   1 express something in words:\n   2 give information:\n   3 mean:\n   4 think that something is true:\n   5 show/be a sign of something:\n   6 speak the words of something:\n   7 pronounce:\n   8 suggest/suppose something:\n   9 say to yourself:\n  10 I must say:\n  11 I can’t say (that):\n  12 I would say:\n  13 I couldn’t say:\n  14 if I may say so:\n  15 having said that:\n  16 wouldn’t you say?:\n  17 what do you say?:\n  18 say no more:\n  19 you can say that again!:\n  20 you said it!:\n  21 who says?:\n  22 who can say?:\n  23 you don’t say!:\n  24 say when:\n  25 say cheese:\n  26 (just) say the word:\n  27 I’ll say this/that (much) for somebody:\n  28 say what you like:\n  29 anything/whatever you say:\n  30 can’t say fairer than that:\n  31 I wouldn’t say no (to something):\n  32 I’ll say!:\n  33 let’s just say:\n  34 shall I/we say:\n  35 what have you got to say for yourself?:\n  36 say what?:\n  37 I say:\n  38 say something to somebody’s face:\n  39 that’s not saying much:\n  40 something says it all:\n  41 to say the least:\n  42 that is to say:\n  43 that is not to say:\n  44 not to say:\n  45 nothing/something/not much etc to be said for (doing) something:\n  46 to say nothing of something:\n  47 have something to say about something:\n  48 have a lot to say for yourself:\n  49 not have much to say for yourself:\n  50 what somebody says goes:\n  51 say your piece:  ----------//  [Language: Old English; Origin: secgan]//\n  1 EXPRESS SOMETHING IN WORDS:   [I only in negatives, T] to express an idea, feeling, thought etc using words//  --’I’m so tired,’ she said.//  --’Don’t cry,’ he said softly.//  --Don’t believe anything he says.//  say (that)//  --A spokesman said that the company had improved its safety standards.//  --I always said I would buy a motorbike when I had enough money.//  say how/why/who etc//  --Did she say what happened?//  --I would like to say how much we appreciate your hard work.//  --’Why did she leave?’ ’I don’t know - she  didn’t say .’//  say sth to sb//  --What did you say to her?//  a terrible/silly/strange etc thing to say //  --What a silly thing to say!//  say hello/goodbye/thank you etc (=say something to greet someone, thank someone etc) //  --She left without saying goodbye.//  say you’re sorry (=apologize) //  --I’ve said I’m sorry - what more do you want?//  say yes/no (to sth) (=agree or refuse) //  --Can I go, Mum? Oh please say yes!//  say nothing/anything/sth (about sth) //  --He looked as if he was going to say something.//  --I wished I had said nothing about Jordi.//  have anything/nothing/sth to say //  --Does anyone else have anything to say?//  --Although he didn’t say so , it was clear that he was in pain.//  -- What makes you say that  (=why do you think that) ?//  say to do sth//   (=tell someone to do something) //  --Nina said to meet her at 4.30.//  --I’d like to say a few words  (=make a short speech) .//  --’So what are your plans now?’ ’ I’d rather not say .’//\n  2 GIVE INFORMATION:   [T not in passive] to give information in the form of written words, numbers, or pictures - used about signs, clocks, letters, messages etc//  --The sign said ’Back in 10 minutes’.//  --The clock said twenty past three.//  say (that)//  --He received a letter saying that the appointment had been cancelled.//  say to do sth//   (=gives information about what you should do) //  --The label says to take one tablet before meals.//  say who/what/how etc//  --The card doesn’t even say who sent the flowers.//  -- It says here they have live music.//\n  3 MEAN:   [T usually in progressive] used to talk about what someone means//  --What do you think the writer is trying to say in this passage?//  --So what you’re saying is, there’s none left.//  be saying (that)//  --Are you saying I’m fat?//  --I’m not saying it’s a bad idea.//  -- All I’m saying is that it might be better to wait a while.//\n  4 THINK THAT SOMETHING IS TRUE:   [T] //  a) used to talk about something that people think is true//  they say/people say/ it is said (that) //  --They say that she has been all over the world.//  --It is said that he was a spy during the war.//  sb is said to be sth/do sth//  --He’s said to be the richest man in the world.//  --Well, you know what they say - blood’s thicker than water.//  --The rest, as they say, is history.//\n  5 SHOW/BE A SIGN OF SOMETHING:   [T] //  a) to show clearly that something is true about someone or something’s character//  --The kind of car you drive says what kind of person you are.//  --The fact that she never apologized says a lot about  (=shows something very clearly) what kind of person she is.//  -- It said a lot for the manager that the team remained confident despite losing (=it showed that he is good) .//  --These results don’t say much for the quality of teaching (=they show that it is not very good) .//  b) to show what someone really is feeling or thinking, especially without using words//  --The look on her face said ’I love you’.//  sth says everything/says it all //  --His expression said it all.//\n  6 SPEAK THE WORDS OF SOMETHING:   [T] to speak the words that are written in a play, poem, or prayer//  --Can you say that line again, this time with more feeling?//  --I’ll say a prayer for you.//\n  7 PRONOUNCE:   [T] to pronounce a word or sound//  -- How do you say your last name?//\n  8 SUGGEST/SUPPOSE SOMETHING:   [T usually in imperative] used when suggesting or supposing that something might happen or be true//  ... say ... //  --If we put out, say, twenty chairs, would that be enough?//  let’s say (that)/just say (that) //  --Let’s say your plan fails, then what?//  --Just say you won the lottery - what would you do?//\n  9  say to yourself:  to try to persuade yourself that something is true or not true//  --I kept saying to myself that this wasn’t really happening.//\n  10  spoken  I must say:   also I have to say //  used to emphasize what you are saying//  --The cake does look good, I must say.//  --I have to say I was impressed at the way they dealt with the situation.//\n  11  spoken  I can’t say (that):  used to say that you do not think or feel something//  --I can’t say I envy her being married to him!//\n  12  spoken  I would say:  used for giving your opinion even though other people may not agree//  --I’d say he was jealous.//\n  13  spoken  I couldn’t say:  used when you do not know the answer to something//  --I couldn’t say who will win.//\n  14  spoken  if I may say so:   also if I might say so //   formal used to be polite when saying something that may embarrass or offend the person you are talking to//  --That’s just the point, Mr Glover, if I may say so.//\n  15  spoken  having said that:  used to say that something is true in spite of what you have just said//  --The diet can make you slim without exercise. Having said that, however, exercise is important too.//\n  16  spoken  wouldn’t you say?:  used to ask someone whether they agree with the statement you have just made//  --It seems very unlikely, wouldn’t you say?//\n  17  spoken  what do you say?:  used to ask someone if they agree with a suggestion//  --We could go into partnership - what do you say?//  -- What do you say we all go to a movie?//  -- What would you say to a meal out?//\n  18  spoken  say no more:  used to say that you understand what someone means, although they have not said it directly//  --’I saw him leaving her house at 6.30 this morning.’ ’Say no more!’//\n  19  spoken  you can say that again!:  used to say that you completely agree with someone//  --’It’s cold in here.’ ’You can say that again!’//\n  20  spoken  you said it!:  a) used when someone says something that you agree with, although you would not have actually said it yourself because it is not polite//  --’I was always stubborn as a kid.’ ’You said it!’//  b)  especially AmE used to say that you agree with someone//  --’Let’s go home.’ ’You said it! I’m tired.’//\n  21  spoken  who says?:  used to say that you do not agree with a statement, opinion etc//  --Who says museum work doesn’t pay?//\n  22  spoken  who can say?:   also who’s to say //  used to say that nobody can know something//  --Who can say what will happen between now and then?//  --Many women believe that skin cream makes their skin look younger, and who’s to say that they’re wrong?//\n  23  spoken  you don’t say!:  used to show you are surprised by what someone has told you - also often used when you are not at all surprised by what someone has told you//\n  24  spoken  say when:  used to ask someone to tell you when to stop pouring them a drink or serving them food because they have got enough//\n  25  spoken  say cheese:  used to tell people to smile when you are taking their photograph//\n  26  spoken  (just) say the word:  used to tell someone that they have only to ask and you will do what they want//  --Anywhere you want to go, just say the word.//\n  27  spoken  I’ll say this/that (much) for sb:  used when you want to mention something good about someone, especially when you have been criticizing them//  --I will say this for Tom - at least he’s consistent.//  --You’ve got determination - I’ll say that for you.//\n  28  spoken  say what you like:   especially BrE used when giving an opinion that you are sure is correct, even if the person you are talking to might disagree with you//  --Say what you like about him, he’s a very good writer.//\n  29  spoken  anything/whatever you say:  used to tell someone that you agree to do what they want, accept their opinion etc, especially because you do not want an argument//\n  30  spoken  can’t say fairer than that:   BrE used to say that you have made the best offer that you can//  --If I win, I’ll buy you a drink. Can’t say fairer than that.//\n  31  spoken  I wouldn’t say no (to sth):  used to say that you would like something//  --I wouldn’t say no to coffee.//\n  32  spoken  I’ll say!:  used to say yes to a question, in a strong way//  --’Was there a big argument?’ ’I’ll say!’//\n  33  spoken  let’s just say:  used when you do not want to give a lot of details about something//  --Let’s just say she wasn’t very pleased about it.//\n  34  spoken  shall I/we say:  used when you are not quite sure how to describe someone or something//  --He is, shall we say, slightly unusual.//\n  35  spoken  what have you got to say for yourself?:  used to ask someone for an explanation when they have done something wrong//\n  36  spoken  say what?:   informal  especially AmE used when you did not hear what someone said or when you cannot believe that something is true//\n  37  spoken  I say:   BrE  old-fashioned //  a) used to get someone’s attention//  --I say, don’t I know you?//  b) used before giving your reaction to something//  --’My husband’s broken his leg.’ ’I say! I’m sorry to hear that.’//\n  38  say sth to sb’s face:   informal to criticize someone or say something unpleasant directly to them instead of saying it to someone else//  --I knew they wanted me to leave even though they wouldn’t say it to my face.//\n  39  that’s not saying much:  used to say that it is not surprising that someone or something is better than another person or thing because the other person or thing is so bad//  --This version is better than the original but that’s not saying much.//\n  40  sth says it all:  if something says it all, it clearly shows how someone feels or what a situation is really like//  --Her smile said it all.//\n  41  to say the least:  used to say that you could have described something, criticized someone etc a lot more severely than you have//  --Jane could have been more considerate, to say the least.//\n  42  that is to say:  used before giving more details or being more exact about something//  --They, that’s to say Matt and John, were arguing about what to do.//\n  43  that is not to say:  used to make sure the person you are talking to does not think something that is not true//  --I’m quite happy in my job but that’s not to say I’m going to do it for the rest of my life.//\n  44  not to say:   especially BrE used when adding a stronger description of something//  --The information is inadequate, not to say misleading.//\n  45  nothing/sth/not much etc to be said for (doing) sth:  used to say that there are a lot of or not many advantages to something//  --There’s a lot to be said for taking a few days off now and then.//  --It was a town with very little to be said for it.//\n  46  to say nothing of sth:  used to mention another thing involved in what you have just been talking about//  --It wasn’t much for three years’ work, to say nothing of the money it had cost.//\n  47  have sth to say about sth:  to be angry about something//  --Her father would have something to say about it.//\n  48  have a lot to say for yourself:  to talk a lot//\n  49  not have much to say for yourself:  to not talk very much//\n  50  what sb says goes:  used to emphasize who is in control in a situation//  --My wife wants to go to Italy this year, and what she says goes!//\n  51  say your piece:  to give your opinion about something, especially something you do not like//    wouldn’t say boo to a goose at boo2 (3),  easier said than done at easy2 (4),  enough said at enough2 (6),  it goes without saying at go without(2),  needless to say at needless(1),  no sooner said than done at soon(9),  not say/breathe a word at word1 (9),  well said at well1 (13),  when all’s said and done at all1 (17)//  ----------//  WORD CHOICE:say, tell, give, ask //  You use  say when you are mentioning someone’s exact words : ’Hello,’ she said. |  Someone said, ’Let’s go!’ //  Say can be followed by ’that’ : He said that he was tired.  In speech people often leave out ’that’| They said there had been a mistake. //  Say can be followed by ’something’, ’anything’, ’nothing’, or ’so’ : Did you say something? |  Nobody dared to say anything. |  You have to come - Dad said so. //  It can also be followed by ’goodbye’ or ’hello’ : I’ll just go and say hello to David. //  Apart from these uses,  say is not normally followed by an object. For example, it cannot be followed by ’a story’, ’a lie’, ’some information’, or ’an answer’.  //  You  tell a story, a joke, a lie, or the truth : They told a funny story about their trip.  //  You  give information, an order, an instruction, or an answer : He gave no reply. //  !!  You do not say a question. You  ask a question : Can I ask a question? //  You can  say  something  to someone : Has he said something to you? //  When talking about giving information, it is more usual to say that you  tell  someone something : Clare told us something interesting (NOT said us something...). |  Can anyone tell me what time it is? (NOT say to me what...)  //  You can  tell  someone  about  something : Did you tell Lucy about the party? (NOT say to Lucy about...) //  You can say to do something, but it is more usual to tell  someone  to do something : The teacher told us to open our books (NOT said us/said to us to...). //  ----------//\nsay 2 n [singular, U] \n  1 the right to take part in deciding something:  have some/no/little say in sth //  --The workers had no say in how the factory was run.//  --The chairman has the final say  (=has the right to make the final decision about something) .//\n  2  have your say:  to have the opportunity to give your opinion about something//  --You’ll get a chance to have your say.//  have your say in/on//  --Parents can have their say in the decision-making process.//\nsay 3 interjection  AmE  informal   used to express surprise, or to get someone’s attention so that you can tell them something//  --Say, haven’t I seen you before somewhere?//


Words: say-so
Meaning:
n  informal \n  1  sb’s say-so:  someone’s permission to do something//  --You can’t leave the hospital without the say-so of the doctor.//\n  2  on sb’s say-so:  based on someone’s personal statement without any proof//  --She’s hired a number of people on my say-so.//


Words: Sayers
Meaning:
Dorothy L.   (1893-1957) a British writer who wrote  detective novels (=books about crime and murder)  in which the main characters are Lord Peter  Wimsey and Harriet Vane.//


Words: saying
Meaning:
W3   n [C]   a well-known short statement that expresses an idea most people believe is true and wise//   proverb//  --You can’t judge a book by its cover, as the old saying goes.//


Words: scab
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skabb]//\n  1 a hard layer of dried blood that forms over a cut or wound while it is getting better:\n  2 an insulting word for someone who works while the other people in the same factory, office etc are on strike:


Words: scabbard
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Anglo-French; Origin: escaubers]//  a metal or leather cover for the blade of a sword//


Words: scabies
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: scabere  ’to scratch’]//  a skin disease caused by mites (=small creatures like insects) //


Words: scabrous
Meaning:
adj  literary   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Late Latin; Origin: scabrosus, from  Latin scaber  ’rough’]//\n  1 rude or shocking, especially in a sexual way:  --The film is a joy - hilariously funny and unremittingly scabrous.//\n  2 scabrous skin is rough, not soft:


Words: scads
Meaning:
n  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Probably from  English dialect scald  ’a large number’]//  scads of sth//  large numbers or quantities of something//  --They got scads of calls from reporters.//


Words: scaffold
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old North French; Origin: escafaut, from  Vulgar Latin catafalicum;   CATAFALQUE]//\n  1 a structure built next to a wall, for workers to stand on while they build, repair, or paint a building:\n  2 a raised structure which was used in the past as a place to kill criminals by hanging them or cutting off their heads:\n  3  AmE a structure that can be moved up and down to help people work on high buildings:  British Equivalent:  cradle//


Words: scaffolding
Meaning:
n [U]   a set of poles and boards that are built into a structure for workers to stand on when they are working on the outside of a building//


Words: scalability
Meaning:
n [U]  technical   the degree to which a computer system is able to grow and become more powerful as the number of people using it increases//


Words: scalawag
Meaning:
n  AmE   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Perhaps from  Scottish English scallag  ’farm servant’]//  a scallywag//


Words: scald
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old North French; Origin: escalder, from  Late Latin excaldare  ’to wash in warm water’, from  Latin calidus  ’warm’]//  to burn your skin with hot liquid or steam//  --Don’t scald yourself with that kettle!//\nscald 2 n [C]   a burn on your skin caused by hot liquid or steam//


Words: scalding
Meaning:
adj \n  1  also scalding hot :  extremely hot//  --a bowl of scalding water//  --a cup of scalding hot tea//\n  2  literary scalding tears feel hot on your skin:  --Scalding tears poured down her face.//


Words: scale
Meaning:
W2S3   n   ----------//\n   1 size/level:\n   2 range:\n   3 for weighing:\n   4 measuring system:\n   5 measuring marks:\n   6 map/model:\n   7 music:\n   8 fish:\n   9 teeth:\n  10 water pipes:\n  11 the scales fell from somebody’s eyes:  ----------//\n  1 SIZE/LEVEL:   [singular, U] the size or level of something, or the amount that something is happening//  scale of//  --We had underestimated the scale of the problem.//  on a large/small/grand etc scale //  --There has been housing development on a massive scale since 1980.//  --Most alternative technologies work best on a small scale.//  --A structural survey revealed the full scale of the damage.//  --I was shocked by the sheer scale  (=very big scale) of the destruction.//  on a global/international/world scale //  --Pollution could cause changes to weather patterns on a global scale.//  --Large firms benefit from economies of scale  (=ways of saving money because they are big) .//\n  2 RANGE:   [C usually singular] a whole range of different types of people or things, from the lowest level to the highest//  --Some rural schools have 50 pupils, while at the other end of the scale are city schools with nearly 5,000 pupils.//  up/down the scale//  --She gradually made her way up the social scale .//  --animals which are lower down the evolutionary scale  (=the range of animals that have developed gradually over a long time) //  3 FOR WEIGHING//   scales [plural]  BrE scale  AmE a machine for weighing people or objects//  --a set of kitchen scales//  --some new bathroom scales  (=scales that you use to weigh yourself) //\n  4 MEASURING SYSTEM:   [C] a system of numbers that is used for measuring the amount, speed, quality etc of something//  on a scale//  --The earthquakes measured 7 on the Richter scale.//  --changes to the company’s pay scale//  --Your performance will be judged on a scale of 1 to 10.//  --We use a sliding scale  (=in which prices are not firmly fixed) for charges.//\n  5 MEASURING MARKS:   [C] a set of marks with regular spaces between them on a tool that is used for measuring, or on the side of a mathematical drawing//  --a ruler with a metric scale//\n  6 MAP/MODEL:   [U and C] the relationship between the size of a map, drawing, or model and the actual size of the place or thing that it represents//  --a map with a scale of 1:250,000//  to scale//  --All our models are made to scale.//  scale model/drawing etc (=one done using a strict scale) //  --a scale drawing of the Eiffel Tower//\n  7 MUSIC:   [C] a series of musical notes that become higher or lower, with fixed distances between each note//  --the scale of G major//\n  8 FISH:   [C usually plural] one of the small flat pieces of skin that cover the bodies of fish, snakes etc//\n  9 TEETH:   [U]  BrE a white substance that forms on your teeth//\n  10 WATER PIPES:   [U] a white substance that forms around the inside of hot water pipes or containers in which water is boiled//\n  11  the scales fell from sb’s eyes:   literary used to say that someone suddenly realized something important//    full-scale//\nscale 2 v [T] \n  1 to climb to the top of something that is high and difficult to climb:  --Rescuers had to scale a 300m cliff to reach the injured climber.//\n  2  technical to make writing or a picture the right size for a particular purpose:  scale sth to sth//  --The writing can be scaled to any size, depending on the paper.//\n  3  scale the heights:  to be extremely successful//  --By the age of 21 he had already scaled the heights in the academic world.//  scale down/back [scale sth → down/back] phr v//  to reduce the amount or size of something//  --The emergency aid programme has now been scaled down.//  scale up [scale sth → up] phr v//  to increase the amount or size of something//    decrease//  --Production at the factory is being scaled up.//


Words: scallion
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Anglo-French; Origin: scalun, from  Latin ascalonia (caepa)  ’onion of Ascalon’, ancient port in Palestine]//  a type of young onion with a small round end and a long green stem//  British Equivalent:  spring onion//


Words: scallop
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: escalope  ’shell’]//\n  1 a small sea creature that you can eat, with a flat round shell made of two parts that fit together:\n  2 [usually plural] one of a row of small curves that are used to decorate the edge of clothes, curtains etc:


Words: scalloped
Meaning:
adj \n  1 if the edge of something is scalloped, it is made into a row of small curves:\n  2 scalloped potatoes, corn etc have been baked in a cream or cheese sauce:


Words: scally
Meaning:
n   plural  scallies  [C]  BrE  spoken //  [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: scallywag]//  someone who causes trouble - often used humorously//   scallywag//  --You rude little scally !//  -- scally adj  [only before noun] //  --just some little scally kid//


Words: scallywag
Meaning:
n  especially BrE  also scalawag  AmE [C]  old-fashioned   a child who causes trouble but not in a serious way - used when you are not angry with them//


Words: scalp
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  From a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 the skin on the top of your head:  --Massage the shampoo gently into your hair and scalp.//\n  2  sb’s scalp:   informal if you want someone’s scalp, you want them to be completely defeated//  --The board members were after the chairman’s scalp.//\nscalp 2 v [T] \n  1  AmE  informal to buy tickets for an event and sell them again at a much higher price:  British Equivalent:  tout//\n  2 to cut the hair and skin off the head of a dead enemy as a sign of victory:


Words: scalpel
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Latin; Origin: scalpellum, from  scalprum  ’knife’]//  a small, very sharp knife that is used by doctors in operations//


Words: scalper
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   someone who makes money by buying tickets for an event and selling them again at a very high price//  British Equivalent:  tout//


Words: scaly
Meaning:
adj \n  1 a scaly animal or fish is covered with small flat pieces of hard skin:\n  2 scaly skin is dry and rough:


Words: scam
Meaning:
n [C]  informal   a clever but dishonest way to get money//  --He got involved in a credit card scam.//


Words: scamp
Meaning:
n [C]  old-fashioned   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin: scamp  ’to wander around’ (18-19 centuries), perhaps from  scamper]//  a child who has fun by tricking people//


Words: scamper
Meaning:
preposition]   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  Probably from early  Dutch schampen  ’to run away’, from  Old French escamper, from  Vulgar Latin excampare  ’to leave camp’, from  Latin campus;   CAMP1]//  to run with quick short steps, like a child or small animal//  --The children scampered up the hill after me.//


Words: scampi
Meaning:
n  BrE   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Italian; Origin: , plural of  scampo]//  [plural, U] large prawns (=sea creatures) that are covered in bread crumbs and cooked in hot oil//


Words: scan
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scanned present participle  scanning //  ----------//\n   1 look at:\n   2 read:\n   3 see inside:\n   4 computer:\n   5 poetry:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Late Latin; Origin: scandere, from  Latin,  ’to climb’]//\n  1 LOOK AT:   [T] to examine an area carefully but quickly, often because you are looking for a particular person or thing//  --He scanned the horizon, but there was no sign of the ship.//  --She scanned his face, looking for signs of what he was thinking.//  --Video cameras scanned the car park.//  scan sth for sth//  --I scanned the street for people I knew.//\n  2 READ:   also scan through //   [T] to read something quickly//   skim//  scan sth for sth//  --I scanned the page for her name.//  --She scanned through the paper.//\n  3 SEE INSIDE:   [T] if a machine scans something, it passes an electrical beam over it to form a picture of what is inside it//    scanner//  --All luggage has to be scanned at the airport.//  --They scanned his brain for signs of damage.//\n  4 COMPUTER:   [T] if you scan a document or picture, you put it into a machine attached to a computer so that the information in the document can be taken into the computer and stored there//    scanner//  scan sth into sth//  --You scan the text into the computer, then edit it.//\n  5 POETRY:   [I]  technical poetry that scans has a correct regular pattern of beats//\nscan 2 n \n  1 [C] a medical test in which a special machine produces a picture of something inside your body:  --The scan showed that she was expecting twins.//  --a brain scan//\n  2 [singular] when you read something quickly:  scan of//  --a quick scan of the newspapers//


Words: scandal
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Late Latin; Origin: scandalum  ’offense’, from  Greek skandalon]//\n  1 [C] an event in which someone, especially someone important, behaves in a bad way that shocks people:  --It caused quite a scandal when he left his wife.//  --The college has recently been involved in a drugs scandal .//  -- He has been at the centre of a political scandal .//  --a major scandal involving the government//  --a series of financial scandals //  --a sex scandal that ruined his reputation//  --They had already left the country when the scandal broke .//\n  2 [U] talk about dishonest or immoral things that famous or important people are believed to have done:  --The magazine is full of gossip and scandal.//\n  3  be a scandal:   BrE  spoken to be very shocking or unacceptable//  --The price of petrol these days is an absolute scandal!//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  cause a scandal //  be involved in a scandal //  be (at) the centre of a scandal //  big/major scandal //  financial/political scandal //  corruption/sex/drugs etc scandal //  a scandal breaks (=a scandal becomes known) //  ----------//


Words: scandalize
Meaning:
also  scandalise BrE   v [T usually passive]   to make people feel very shocked//  --His outspoken views scandalized the nation.//


Words: scandalous
Meaning:
adj \n  1 completely unfair and wrong:   shocking//  --a scandalous waste of public money//  --scandalous behaviour//\n  2 involving stories about dishonest or immoral things that someone has done:  --scandalous stories about the Prime Minister//  -- scandalously adv //


Words: Scandinavian
Meaning:
n [C]   someone from the area of Northern Europe that consists of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and usually Finland and Iceland//  -- Scandinavian adj //  --Scandinavian languages//


Words: scanner
Meaning:
n [C]   1 a machine that passes an electrical beam over something in order to produce a picture of what is inside it//    scan//  --a high-tech body scanner//\n  2 a piece of computer equipment that allows written or printed information to be taken onto a computer and stored there:    scan//


Words: scant
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skamt]//\n  1 not enough:  --The story has received scant attention in the press.//  --They produce goods with scant regard for quality.//\n  2  a scant cup/teaspoon etc:  a little less than a full amount of a particular measurement//


Words: scanty
Meaning:
adj \n  1 not enough:  --There is only scanty evidence of his involvement.//\n  2 scanty clothes are small and do not cover very much of your body - used to show disapproval:  -- scantily adv //  -- scantily clad young women//


Words: Scapa Flow
Meaning:
an area of sea between two of the  Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. It was an important base for the British navy during World War I, and 71 German warships which had  surrendered were sunk there when the war ended.//


Words: scapegoat
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: scape (from  scape  ’to get away’ (13-20 centuries), from  escape) +  goat; meant as a translation of  Hebrew ’azazel (probably the name of an evil spirit in the Bible), as if it were  ’ez ’ozel  ’goat that leaves’]//  someone who is blamed for something bad that happens, even if it is not their fault//  scapegoat for//  --She believed she had been made a scapegoat for what happened.//  -- scapegoat v  [T] //


Words: scapula
Meaning:
n [C]  technical   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin]//  one of the two flat bones on each side of your upper back//   shoulder blade//    skeleton//


Words: scar
Meaning:
n [C]   ----------//\n   1 mark on skin:\n   2 feeling:\n   3 damaged area:\n   4 cliff:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: escare, from  Late Latin eschara, from  Greek]//\n  1 MARK ON SKIN:  a permanent mark that is left on your skin after you have had a cut or wound//  --He had a long, curved scar on his right cheek.//  --a deep cut that could leave a permanent scar //\n  2 FEELING:  a feeling of fear or sadness that remains with you for a long time after an unpleasant experience//  --Her mental scars will take time to heal.//  --The war has left a deep scar on this community.//\n  3 DAMAGED AREA:  a place where the land or a building was damaged in the past//  scar of//  --The landscape still bears the scars of the war.//\n  4 CLIFF:   BrE a cliff on the side of a mountain//\nscar 2   past tense and past participle  scarred present participle  scarring  v [T] //\n  1 if a wound or cut scars you, it leaves a permanent mark on your body:  --His hands were badly scarred by the fire.//  --She will probably be scarred for life .//\n  2 if an unpleasant experience scars you, it leaves you with a feeling of sadness or fear that continues for a long time:  --She was profoundly scarred by her father’s suicide.//\n  3 to spoil the appearance of something:  --huge quarries that scar the landscape//


Words: scarab
Meaning:
n  also scarab beetle  [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: scarabaeus]//  a type of large black beetle//


Words: scarce
Meaning:
adj   comparative  scarcer superlative  scarcest //  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old North French; Origin: escars, from  Vulgar Latin excarpsus  ’pulled out’, from  Latin excerpere;   EXCERPT]//\n  1 if something is scarce, there is not very much of it available:  --Food was often scarce in the winter.//  --There was fierce competition for the scarce resources .//\n  2  make yourself scarce:   informal to leave a place, especially in order to avoid an unpleasant situation//  --I decided it was time to make myself scarce.//\nscarce 2 adv  literary   scarcely//  --He could scarce believe it.//


Words: scarcely
Meaning:
adv \n  1 almost not or almost none at all:   hardly//  --The city had scarcely changed in 20 years.//  --The country had scarcely any industry.//  --He scarcely ever left the region.//  can/could scarcely do sth//  --It was getting dark and she could scarcely see in front of her.//  scarcely a day/year/moment etc //  --Scarcely a day goes by when I don’t think of him. see usage note  rarely//\n  2 only a moment ago:   hardly, barely//  --He had scarcely sat down when there was a knock at the door.//\n  3 definitely not or almost certainly not:   hardly//  --Early March is scarcely the time of year for sailing.//


Words: scarcity
Meaning:
n [singular]   a situation in which there is not enough of something//  scarcity of//  --the scarcity of employment opportunities//


Words: scare
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skirra, from  skjarr  ’shy, fearful’]//\n  1 [T] to make someone feel frightened:   frighten//    afraid//  --Loud noises can scare animals or birds.//  scare the life/living daylights/hell etc out of sb (=scare someone very much) //  --The alarm scared the hell out of me.//  scare the pants off sb (=scare someone very much) //\n  2  scare easily:  to be frightened by things that are not very frightening//  --I don’t scare easily, you know.//  scare into [scare sb into sth] phr v//  to make someone do something by frightening them or threatening them//  scare sb into doing sth//  --You can’t scare me into telling you anything.//  scare off/away [scare sb/sth → off/away] phr v//\n  1 to make an animal or person go away by frightening them:  --She moved quietly to avoid scaring the birds away.//\n  2 to make someone uncertain or worried so that they do not do something they were going to do:  --Rising prices are scaring off many potential customers.//  scare up [scare up sth] phr v//  to make something although you have very few things to make it from//  --Let me see if I can scare up something for you to eat.//\nscare 2 n \n  1 [singular] a sudden feeling of fear:  --You really gave us a scare !//\n  2 [C] a situation in which a lot of people become frightened about something:  --a bomb scare //  --a health scare //


Words: scare story
Meaning:
n [C]   a report, especially in a newspaper, that makes a situation seem more serious or worrying than it really is//  --Despite the scare stories in the media, no jobs will be lost at the factory.//


Words: scare tactics
Meaning:
n [plural]   methods of persuading people to do something by frightening them//  --Employers used scare tactics to force a return to work.//


Words: scared
Meaning:
S3   adj   frightened of something, or nervous about something//   afraid//  --At first, he was really scared.//  scared of (doing) sth//  --I’ve always been scared of dogs.//  --Don’t be scared of asking for help.//  scared (that)//  --I wanted to ask her out but was scared that she might refuse.//  scared to do sth//  --The boys were scared to cross the street.//  scared stiff/scared to death/scared out of your wits (=extremely frightened) //  --I was scared stiff at the thought of making a speech.//


Words: scaremongering
Meaning:
n [U]  BrE   the practice of deliberately making people worried or nervous, especially in order to get a political or other advantage//  --He was accused of political scaremongering.//  -- scaremonger n  [C] //


Words: scarf
Meaning:
n   plural  scarfs  or  scarves /sk[hA35A][hA359]vz $ sk[hA35A][hA359]rvz/ [C] //  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Old North French; Origin: escarpe, from  Old French escherpe  ’bag hung around the neck’]//  a piece of cloth that you wear around your neck, head, or shoulders, especially to keep warm//\nscarf 2  also scarf down/up  v [T]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: scoff  ’to eat quickly’ (18-21 centuries)]//  to eat something very quickly//  --She scarfed down a bagel on her way to work.//


Words: scarify
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scarified present participle  scarifying third person singular  scarifies  [T] //  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: scarifier, from  Latin scarifare, from  Greek skariphasthai  ’to draw a line on a surface’]//\n  1 to break and make loose the surface of a road or field using a pointed tool:\n  2  formal to criticize someone very severely:


Words: Scarlatti
Meaning:
Domenico   (1685-1757) an Italian  composer who wrote over 500 pieces of music for the  harpsichord//


Words: scarlet
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: escarlate, from  Medieval Latin scarlata, from  Persian saqalat type of cloth]//\n  1 bright red:\n  2  BrE if you go scarlet, your face becomes red, usually because you are embarrassed or angry:   blush//  go/turn/flush/blush scarlet //  --Eileen blushed scarlet at the joke.//  -- scarlet n  [U] //


Words: scarlet fever
Meaning:
also scarlatina   n [U]   a serious infectious illness that mainly affects children, causing a sore throat and red spots on your skin//


Words: Scarlet Pimpernel
Meaning:
The   the main character in the adventure story  The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905) by Baroness Orczy. The "Scarlet Pimpernel" is the name used by Sir Percy Blakeney, an Englishman who uses many clever  disguises (=ways of changing your clothes and appearance so that people do not recognize you)  in order to help French people from a high social class to escape from France, and from the possibility of having their heads cut off by the  guillotine during the  French Revolution. There is a well-known short poem about him, which begins with the words "They seek him here, they seek him there...", and is about how difficult it is to find the Scarlet Pimpernel.//


Words: scarper
Meaning:
v [I]  BrE  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Probably from  Italian scappare  ’to escape’]//  to run away//  --They scarpered without paying their bill.//


Words: SCART
Meaning:
n [C]   a piece of equipment used in some countries to connect electrical equipment so that video and sound signals can go from one piece of equipment to another, for example from a video recorder to a television//  --a SCART cable//


Words: scary
Meaning:
adj   comparative  scarier superlative  scariest  informal //  frightening//  --a scary moment//  --a scary movie//  --The book is both scary and funny.//


Words: scat
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Perhaps from the sound.]//  a style of jazz singing, in which the singer sings sounds rather than words//


Words: scathing
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin: scathe  ’to harm’ (12-20 centuries), from  Old Norse skatha]//  a scathing remark criticizes someone or something very severely//  scathing attack/remark/comment etc //  --a scathing attack on the Government’s planned tax increases//  scathing about//  --He’s always been so scathing about psychiatrists.//  -- scathingly adv //


Words: scatological
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Greek; Origin: skat-, the stem of  skor  ’waste from the body’]//  too interested in or related to human waste, in a way that people find offensive//  --scatological humour//


Words: scatter
Meaning:
v [I and T]   [Date: 1100-1200; Origin:  Perhaps from  shatter]//\n  1 if someone scatters a lot of things, or if they scatter, they are thrown or dropped over a wide area in an irregular way:  scatter (sth) over/around/across etc sth//  --Scatter the onions over the fish.//  --The flowers fell and scattered on the ground.//\n  2 if a group of people or animals scatter, or if something scatters them, they move quickly in different directions:  --The sound of gunfire made the crowd scatter in all directions.//    scattered,  scattering//


Words: scatterbrained
Meaning:
adj  informal   not thinking in a practical way, so that you cannot do things or you forget or lose things//  -- scatterbrain n  [C] //


Words: scattered
Meaning:
adj   spread over a wide area or over a long period of time//  scattered over/throughout/across/around etc//  --Broken glass lay scattered over the floor.//  scattered with//  --The sky was scattered with stars.//  --There will be some scattered showers  (=short periods of rain) in the afternoon.//  --a widely scattered set of islands//


Words: scattering
Meaning:
n   a scattering of sth//   written a small number of things or people spread out over a large area//  --a scattering of isolated farms//


Words: scatty
Meaning:
adj  BrE  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Probably from  scatterbrained]//  someone who is scatty often forgets or loses things because they are not sensible or practical//


Words: scavenge
Meaning:
v [I and T]   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin: scavenger  (16-21 centuries), from  scavager  ’tax collector, someone who cleans streets’ (15-19 centuries), from  scavage  ’tax on goods sold’ (15-19 centuries), from  Old North French escauwage  ’examination’]//\n  1 if an animal scavenges, it eats anything that it can find:  --Pigs scavenged among the rubbish.//  scavenge for//  --rats scavenging for food//\n  2 if someone scavenges, they search through things that other people do not want for food or useful objects:  --There are people who live in the dump and scavenge garbage for a living.//  scavenge for//  --Women were scavenging for old furniture.//  -- scavenger n  [C] //  --Foxes and other scavengers go through the dustbins.//


Words: SCE
Meaning:
Scottish Certificate of Education an examination taken by students in schools in Scotland. There are three levels of examination in many different subjects: SCE O grades are taken at the age of 15 or 16; SCE highers are taken a year later; and Sixth Year Studies are taken a year later in the last year of school.//


Words: scenario
Meaning:
n   plural  scenarios  [C] //  [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Italian; Origin: Latin scaenarium, from  scaena;   SCENE]//\n  1 a situation that could possibly happen:  --Imagine a scenario where only 20% of people have a job.//  possible/likely/plausible scenario //  --Under a likely scenario, world population will double by 2050.//  --a possible scenario//  worst-case/nightmare scenario (=the worst possible situation) //  --The worst-case scenario was that he would have to have an operation.//\n  2  technical a written description of the characters, place, and things that will happen in a film, play etc:


Words: scene
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 play/film:\n   2 activities:\n   3 accident/crime:\n   4 view/picture:\n   5 event/situation:\n   6 argument:\n   7 not be your scene:\n   8 behind the scenes:\n   9 set the scene:\n  10 be/come on the scene:  ----------//  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: sc[hA169]ne, from  Latin scena,  scaena  ’stage, scene’, from  Greek skene  ’tent, building against which a play is performed, stage’]//\n  1 PLAY/FILM:   [C] //  a) part of a play during which there is no change in time or place//  --Hamlet, Act 5 Scene 2//  --the opening scene //  b) a single piece of action that happens in one place in a film, book etc//  -- battle scenes //  --tender love scenes //  --The film contains some violent scenes.//  --colourful pictures depicting scenes from the Bible//\n  2 ACTIVITIES:   [singular] a particular set of activities and the people who are involved in them//  --I’m not into the club scene  (=going to night clubs) .//  --LA’s music scene //  --the drug scene //  --a newcomer to the political scene //\n  3 ACCIDENT/CRIME:   [singular] the place where an accident, crime etc happened//  --The police soon arrived at the scene of the crime .//  at the scene//  --Investigators are now at the scene, searching for clues.//  on the scene//  --Journalists were on the scene within minutes.//\n  4 VIEW/PICTURE:   [C] a view of a place as you see it, or as it appears in a picture//  --He photographed a wide range of street scenes.//  scene of//  --She returned home to find a scene of devastation.//\n  5 EVENT/SITUATION:   [C] what is happening in a place, or what can be seen happening//  scene of//  --There were scenes of rejoicing after the election.//  bad scene  AmE //  --’It’s a bad scene here,’ she said. ’Jamie is very sick.’//\n  6 ARGUMENT:   [C] a loud angry argument, especially in a public place//  --There were angry scenes in parliament today.//  --I was mad, but I didn’t want to make a scene .//\n  7  not be your scene:   informal to not be the type of thing you like//  --Loud discos aren’t really my scene.//\n  8  behind the scenes:  secretly, while other things are happening publicly//  --Behind the scenes, both sides are working towards an agreement.//\n  9  set the scene:  a) to provide the conditions in which an event can happen//  set the scene for//  --The prison riots have set the scene for major reform.//  b) to describe the situation before you begin to tell a story//  --A few words on the rules of English law will help to set the scene.//\n  10  be/come on the scene:  to be or become involved in a situation, activity etc//  --By then, there was a boyfriend on the scene.//    a change of scene at change2 (3),  steal the scene at steal1 (4)//


Words: scenery
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 the natural features of a particular part of a country that you can see, such as mountains, forests, deserts etc:  --The best part of the trip was the fantastic scenery.//\n  2 the painted background, furniture etc used on a theatre stage:


Words: scenic
Meaning:
adj \n  1 surrounded by views of beautiful countryside:  --a region of scenic beauty //\n  2  the scenic route:  a longer way than usual, especially one that goes through beautiful or interesting areas - often used humorously//  --Let’s take the scenic route home.//  -- scenically/-kli/ adv //


Words: scent
Meaning:
n \n  1 [C] a pleasant smell that something has:   fragrance//  --a yellow rose with a lovely scent//  scent of//  --the sweet scent of ripe fruit//\n  2 [C] the smell of a particular animal or person that some other animals, for example dogs, can follow:\n  3  throw/put sb off the scent:  to give someone false information to prevent them from catching you or discovering something//  --Was he trying to put me off the scent because I had come too close to the truth?//\n  4 [U and C]  especially BrE a liquid that you put on your skin to make it smell pleasant:   perfume//\nscent 2 v [T]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sentir  ’to feel, smell’, from  Latin sentire  ’to feel’]//\n  1 to give a particular smell to something:    perfume//  --Honeysuckle and roses scented the air.//\n  2  written to suddenly think that something is going to happen or exists:  --We scented danger and decided to leave.//  --The press had immediately scented a story.//  --The trade unions have scented victory.//\n  3 if an animal scents another animal or a person, it knows that they are near because it can smell them:


Words: scented
Meaning:
adj   with a particular smell, especially a pleasant one//  --scented soap//  scented with//  --The dry cold air was scented with wood smoke.//  rose-scented/vanilla-scented/pine-scented etc //


Words: scepter
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: ceptre, from  Latin sceptrum, from  Greek skeptron  ’long stick, scepter’]//  the American spelling of sceptre//


Words: sceptic
Meaning:
BrE  skeptic AmE   n [C]   a person who disagrees with particular claims and statements, especially those that are generally thought to be true//  --Sceptics argued that the rise in prices was temporary.//


Words: sceptical
Meaning:
BrE  skeptical AmE   adj   tending to disagree with what other people tell you//  sceptical about/of//  --I’m extremely sceptical about what I read in the press.//  --Environmental groups are sceptical of the government’s claims.//  highly/deeply sceptical //  --He is highly sceptical of the reforms.//  --’You can trust me,’ he said. Jane looked sceptical.//  -- sceptically/-kli/ adv //


Words: scepticism
Meaning:
BrE  skepticism AmE   n [U]   an attitude of doubting that particular claims or statements are true or that something will happen//


Words: schadenfreude
Meaning:
n [U]  formal   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: German; Origin: schaden  ’harm’ +  freude  ’pleasure’]//  a feeling of pleasure that you get when something bad happens to someone else//


Words: schedule
Meaning:
W3S3   n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cedule  ’piece of paper, note’, from  Late Latin schedula, from  Latin scheda  ’sheet of papyrus’]//\n  1 a plan of what someone is going to do and when they are going to do it:  on schedule//   (=at the planned time) //  --The majority of holiday flights depart and arrive on schedule.//  ahead of/behind schedule//   (=before or after the planned time) //  --Meg’s new book is still well ahead of schedule.//  --How can he fit everything into his busy schedule ?//  --I’m going to be working to a very tight schedule  (=including a lot of things that must be done in a short time) .//\n  2  AmE a list that shows the times that buses, trains etc leave or arrive at a particular place:  British Equivalent:  timetable//\n  3 a formal list of something, for example prices:  --a schedule of postal charges//\nschedule 2 v [T usually passive]   to plan that something will happen at a particular time//  be scheduled for June/Monday etc //  --The elections are scheduled for mid-June.//  be scheduled for release/publication/completion etc //  --Her first album is scheduled for release in September.//  be scheduled to do sth//  --Meetings are scheduled to take place all over the country.//  scheduled flight/service (=a plane service that flies at the same time every day or every week) //  --Prices include scheduled flights from Heathrow.//  --We will not cancel your holiday less than 8 weeks before the scheduled departure date .//


Words: Scheherazade
Meaning:
Sheherazade  the woman who tells the stories in  The Arabian Nights. Scheherazade marries a man who always kills his wife on the night after the wedding. To prevent him from killing her too, she tells him part of an interesting story and then says she will tell him the rest of the story the next night. Because he wants to hear the end of the story, he does not kill her. She does this every night for one thousand and one nights, and after this, he allows her to live.//


Words: schema
Meaning:
n   plural  schemas  or  schemata /-m[hA353]t[hA353]/ [C]  technical //  [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Greek; Origin:  SCHEME1]//  a drawing or description of the main parts of something//


Words: scheme
Meaning:
W1   n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: schema  ’arrangement, figure’, from  Greek, from  echein  ’to have, hold, be in a condition’]//\n  1  BrE an official plan that is intended to help people in some way, for example by providing education or training:  American Equivalent:  program//  --The money will be used for teacher training schemes.//  --a pension scheme //  scheme for//  --schemes for two new cross-city lines//  scheme to do sth//  --a new scheme to boost exports//  pilot scheme (=something that is done on a small scale in order to see if it is successful enough to be done on a larger scale) //  --The pilot scheme proved to be a great success.//\n  2 a clever plan, especially to do something that is bad or illegal - used in order to show disapproval:  --a get-rich-quick scheme//  scheme to do sth//  --a scheme to pass false cheques//\n  3 a system that you use to organize information, ideas etc:  --a classification scheme //\n  4  in the scheme of things:  in the way things generally happen, or are organized//  --the unimportance of man in the whole scheme of things//    colour scheme//\nscheme 2 v [I]   to secretly make clever and dishonest plans to get or achieve something//  scheme to do sth//  --She schemed to kill him with poison.//  scheme against//  --He became aware that people were scheming against him and called an emergency meeting.//  --She’s nothing but a lying, scheming little monster!//  -- schemer n  [C] //


Words: scherzo
Meaning:
n   plural  scherzos  [C] //  [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Italian; Origin: ’joke’]//  a happy piece of music that is meant to be played quickly//


Words: Schiller
Meaning:
Friedrich von   (1759-1805) a German writer of plays, poetry, and history, who wrote the  Ode to Joy which  Beethoven set to music as part of his  Choral Symphony//


Words: Schindler’s List
Meaning:
(1993) a US film, made by Steven  Spielberg, about an Austrian businessman who saved many Jews from being killed by the  Nazis during World War II. It is based on a book called Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally.//


Words: schism
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cisme, from  Late Latin schisma, from  Greek,  ’division’, from  schizein  ’to split’]//  the separation of a group into two groups, caused by a disagreement about its aims and beliefs, especially in the Christian church//   split//  -- schismatic/s[hA366]zm[zB024]t[hA366]k, sk[hA366]z-/ adj //


Words: schist
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: French; Origin: schiste, from  Latin schistos (lapis)  ’stone that can be split’, from  Greek, from  schizein;   SCHISM]//  a type of rock that naturally breaks apart into thin flat pieces//


Words: schizoid
Meaning:
adj \n  1  technical typical of schizophrenia:  --a schizoid personality disorder//\n  2 quickly changing between opposite opinions or attitudes:  --Martin’s latest play is as schizoid and erratic as its characters.//


Words: schizophrenia
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: German; Origin: schizophrenie, from  Greek schizo-  ’split’ (from  schizein;   SCHISM) +  phren  ’mind’]//  a serious mental illness in which someone’s thoughts and feelings are not based on what is really happening around them//


Words: schizophrenic
Meaning:
adj \n  1 relating to schizophrenia:\n  2 quickly changing from one opinion, attitude etc to another:  --The film was an example of schizophrenic movie-making at its worst.//\nschizophrenic 2 n [C]   someone who has schizophrenia//


Words: schlep
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  schlepped present participle  schlepping  [T]  AmE  informal //  [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Yiddish; Origin: shleppen, from  Middle High German sleppen]//  to carry or pull something heavy//  schlep sth down/out/along etc//  --I schlepped his bag all the way to the airport and he didn’t even thank me.//  schlep around () [schlep around (sth)] phr v//  to spend your time lazily doing nothing useful//  --I spent the afternoon schlepping around the house.//


Words: schlock
Meaning:
n [U]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Language: Yiddish; Origin: shlak, from  Middle High German slag  ’hit’]//  things that are cheap and of poor quality//  --The gift store sells both tasteful gifts and cheap schlock.//


Words: schmaltzy
Meaning:
adj  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: schmaltz  ’schmaltzy quality’ (20-21 centuries), from  Yiddish shmalts  ’melted fat’, from  Middle High German smalz]//  a schmaltzy piece of music, book etc deals with emotions such as love and sadness in a way that seems silly and not serious enough//  --a schmaltzy love song//  -- schmaltz n  [U] //


Words: schmancy
Meaning:
adj  also fancy-schmancy  informal   expensive and fashionable in a way that is meant to be impressive - used in order to show disapproval//  --a schmancy all-girls college//


Words: schmo
Meaning:
n   plural  schmoes  [C]  AmE  informal //  [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Probably from  schmuck]//  a stupid or annoying person//


Words: schmooze
Meaning:
v [I]  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Yiddish; Origin: shmuesn  ’to talk’]//  to talk in a friendly way about unimportant things at a social event, especially because you want to gain an advantage for yourself later//  schmooze with//  --Politicians spent much of their time schmoozing with contributors.//


Words: schmuck
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: Yiddish; Origin: shmok  ’penis, stupid person’, from  German schmuck  ’decoration’]//  a stupid person//


Words: Schnabel
Meaning:
Artur   (1882-1951) a US  pianist (=someone who plays the piano) , born in Austria, famous especially for playing music by  Beethoven//


Words: schnapps
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: German; Origin: schnaps, from  Low German snappen  ’to snap’]//  a strong alcoholic drink//


Words: schnitzel
Meaning:
n [U and C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: German; Origin: ’small piece cut off’, from  Middle High German sniz  ’slice’]//  a small piece of veal (=meat from a young cow)  covered with breadcrumbs and cooked in oil//


Words: schnook
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Perhaps from  German schnucke  ’small sheep’ or  Yiddish shnuk  ’snout’]//  a stupid person//


Words: Schoenberg
Meaning:
Arnold   (1874-1951) an Austrian composer who went to the US in 1933. He invented the "twelve-tone system" of writing modern music, in which music is written around a set of twelve notes of a  Chromatic scale. His system has influenced many modern composers. His works include Transfigured Night, Pierrot Lunaire, and an  opera that he did not finish Moses and Aaron.//


Words: scholar
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1000-1100; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: scholaris, from  Late Latin,  ’of a school’, from  Latin schola;   SCHOOL1]//\n  1 an intelligent and well-educated person:  --the great Dutch scholar Erasmus//\n  2 someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, especially one that is not a science subject:  --a Shakespearean scholar//\n  3 someone who has been given a scholarship to study at a school or college:  --He was a King’s scholar at Eton College.//


Words: scholarly
Meaning:
adj \n  1 relating to serious study of a particular subject:  --a scholarly journal//\n  2 someone who is scholarly spends a lot of time studying, and knows a lot about a particular subject:


Words: scholarship
Meaning:
n \n  1 [C] an amount of money that is given to someone by an educational organization to help pay for their education:  scholarship to//  --She won a scholarship to Iowa State University.//  on a scholarship//  --He attended college on a drama scholarship.//\n  2 [U] the knowledge, work, or methods involved in serious studying:  --Her latest publication is a fine piece of scholarship.//


Words: scholastic
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]  formal   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: scholasticus, from  Greek, from  schole;   SCHOOL1]//\n  1 relating to schools or teaching:    academic//  --scholastic skills//\n  2 relating to scholasticism:


Words: scholasticism
Meaning:
n [U]   a way of studying thought, especially religious thought, based on things written in ancient times//


Words: school
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 where children learn:\n   2 time at school:\n   3 university:\n   4 one subject:\n   5 at school:\n   6 in school:\n   7 art:\n   8 school of thought:\n   9 of/from the old school:\n  10 fish:  ----------//  [Language: Old English; Origin: scol, from  Latin schola, from  Greek schole  ’discussion, school’]//\n  1 WHERE CHILDREN LEARN:   [U and C] a place where children are taught//  --His mother always used to pick him up from school.//  --Which school do you go to  (=attend) ?//  --Starting  a new school  can be quite frightening.//  --I went back to  my old school  in West Ham recently to talk to the children there.//  --a play put on by the local school children //  --the first day of the school holidays //\n  2 TIME AT SCHOOL:   [U] //  a) a day’s work at school//  --School begins at 8.30.//  before/after school//  --I’ll see you after school.//  b) the time during your life when you go to school//  --He’s one of my old friends from school.//  --Children start school between the ages of four and five.//  --He left school at 16 and went to work as a bank clerk.//\n  3 UNIVERSITY:  a)  [U and C]  AmE a college or university, or the time when you study there//  --Their kids are away at school now.//  --She was going to school in Boston.//  b)  [C] a department or group of departments that teaches a particular subject at a university//  school of//  --the Harvard School of Public Health//  law/medical/business/graduate school //  --After two years of medical school, I thought I knew everything.//\n  4 ONE SUBJECT:   [C] a place where a particular subject or skill is taught//  --a language school in Brighton//  --the Pastern Riding School//  school of//  --Amwell School of Motoring//\n  5  at school:  a) in the school building//  --I can get some work done while the kids are at school.//  b)  BrE attending a school, rather than being at college or university or having a job//  --We’ve got two children at school, and one at university.//\n  6  in school:  a) in the school building//  --Sandra’s not in school today.//  b)  AmE attending a school or university rather than having a job//  --Are your boys still in school?//\n  7 ART:   [C] a number of people who are considered as a group because of their similar style of work//  --the Impressionist school//\n  8  school of thought:  an opinion or way of thinking about something that is shared by a group of people//  --There are two main schools of thought on the subject.//\n  9  of/from the old school:  with old-fashioned values or qualities//  --a family doctor of the old school//\n  10 FISH:   [C] a large group of fish, whales, dolphins etc that are swimming together//  school of//  --a school of whales//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  go to school //  attend school formal (=go to school) //  a new school (=a school that you are going to for the first time) //  somebody’s old school (=the school someone used to go to) //  school children/pupils/teacher //  school uniform //  school playground/library/bus etc //  school meal/dinner British English //  school holiday(s) British English //  ----------//\nschool 2 v [T] \n  1  old-fashioned to train or teach someone to have a certain skill, type of behaviour, or way of thinking:  be schooled in (doing) sth//  --She was schooled in hiding her emotions.//\n  2 to educate a child:


Words: school age
Meaning:
n [U]   the age at which a child is old enough to go to school//  --children below school age//  -- school-age adj //  --a school-age child//


Words: school board
Meaning:
n [C]   a group of people, including some parents, who are elected to govern a school or group of schools in the US//


Words: school district
Meaning:
n [C]   an area in one state of the US that includes a number of schools which are governed together//


Words: school governor
Meaning:
n [C]   a member of a group of people in Britain who are elected to make decisions about how a school should be managed//


Words: school run
Meaning:
n [C usually singular]  BrE   when parents drive their children to school in the morning or home from school in the afternoon//  --We hope to increase the safety of children who walk to school and cut the number of cars doing the school run .//


Words: school tie
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a special tie with a particular colour or pattern that children wear at some schools in Britain:\n  2  the old school tie:   BrE  informal the unofficial system by which people who went to the same school, especially an expensive one, help each other to gain important positions later in their lives//


Words: school-leaver
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   someone who has just left school, especially to do or look for a job rather than going to college, university etc//  --a shortage of jobs for school-leavers//


Words: schoolboy
Meaning:
n [C]  especially BrE \n  1 a boy attending school:\n  2  schoolboy humour:  jokes that are silly and rude but not offensive//


Words: schoolchild
Meaning:
n   plural  schoolchildren /-t[hA35D][hA366]ldr[hA353]n/ [C] //  a child attending school//   see usage note  student//


Words: schoolday
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a day of the week when children are usually at school:\n  2  sb’s schooldays:  the time of your life when you go to school//


Words: schooling
Meaning:
n [U]   school education//  --children in their final year of compulsory schooling  (=the time during which children have to attend school by law) //  --Al’s dad had only a few years of schooling.//


Words: schoolmarm
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: school +  marm  (19-21 centuries) (from  ma’am)]//  a woman who is considered to be old-fashioned, strict, and easily shocked//


Words: schoolmaster
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a male teacher, especially in a private school (=one that parents pay to send their children to) //


Words: schoolmistress
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a female teacher, especially in a private school (=one that parents pay to send their children to) //


Words: schoolyard
Meaning:
n [C]  especially AmE   the area next to a school building where the children can go or play when they are not having lessons//  British Equivalent:  playground//


Words: schtick
Meaning:
n [singular]   a typical quality or feature that someone, especially an entertainer, is famous for//  --Eminem’s whole schtick is being outrageous.//


Words: schtum
Meaning:
schtoom, shtum/[hA35D]t[hA35E]m/ adj [not before noun]   quiet or silent//  --The boss of the failed company is keeping schtum about his role in the disaster.//


Words: Schubert
Meaning:
Franz   (1797-1828) an Austrian  composer whose best-known works are his songs, known as  lieder, his music for the piano, and his  symphonies//


Words: Schultz
Meaning:
Charles   (1922-2000) a US newspaper  cartoonist who was famous for his  strip cartoon ’Peanuts’ in which the characters Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Snoopy the dog appeared. The cartoon first appeared in eight US newspapers in 1950, but soon appeared in newspapers all over the world.//


Words: Schumann
Meaning:
Robert   (1810-56) a German  composer who wrote  symphonies and many songs, but is best known for the music he wrote for the piano. He was married to Clara Schumann (1819-96), who was also a  pianist and composer.//


Words: schwa
Meaning:
n [C]  technical   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: German; Origin: Hebrew shewa]//\n  1 a vowel typically heard in parts of a word that are spoken without stress1(4), such as the ’a’ in ’about’:\n  2 the sign ([hA353]), used to represent the vowel schwa:


Words: Schwarzenegger
Meaning:
Arnold   (1947- ) a US actor born in Austria, who was a famous  bodybuilder (=someone who develops large muscles through physical exercise) , and then became an actor in exciting, violent films such as  The Terminator (1984) and  Total Recall (1990). //


Words: Schweitzer
Meaning:
Albert   (1875-1965) a German doctor who went to Africa as a Christian  missionary and started a hospital in 1913 in  Gabon, where he worked until his death, especially treating people who were suffering from  leprosy. He was also a musician and a  philosopher, and he was given the  Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.//


Words: sciatic
Meaning:
adj  technical   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: sciatique, from  Latin ischiadicus  ’of pain in the hip’, from  Greek, from  ischion  ’hip’]//  relating to the hips//


Words: science
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin scientia  ’knowledge’, from  scire  ’to know’]//\n  1 [U] knowledge about the world, especially based on examining, testing, and proving facts:  --Many leading scientists do not consider that science can give absolutely reliable knowledge.//  --the founder of modern science, Isaac Newton//  --developments in science and technology //\n  2 [U] the study of science:  --What did you do in science class today?//\n  3 [C] a particular part of science, for example biology, chemistry, or physics:  --the physical sciences//\n  4  sth is not an exact science:  used to say that something involves a lot of guessing and there is not just one right way to do it//  --Advertising is not an exact science - you’re always taking a risk.//    domestic science,  information science,  natural science,  physical science,  social science,  blind sb with science at blind2 (4),  sth is not rocket science at rocket science//


Words: science fiction
Meaning:
n [U]   stories about events in the future which are affected by imaginary developments in science, for example about travelling in time or to other planets with life on them//


Words: Science Museum
Meaning:
the Science Museum//  a large  museum in London containing many important scientific objects, which show the history and development of science and  technology//


Words: scientific
Meaning:
W2S3   adj \n  1 [no comparative] about or related to science, or using its methods:  --We believe in investing in scientific research.//  --the limits of scientific knowledge//  --decisions based on scientific evidence//  --the international scientific community (=scientists) //\n  2  informal using an organized system:  --I keep accounts for the business, but I’m not scientific about it.//\n  3  the scientific method:  the usual process of finding out information in science, which involves testing your ideas by performing experiments and making decisions based on the results//  -- scientifically/-kli/ adv //  --It hasn’t been scientifically proven though.//


Words: Scientific American
Meaning:
a monthly magazine with articles about new discoveries and developments in all the sciences, written for educated readers//    New Scientist, the//


Words: Scientology
Meaning:
trademark   a religion that was started in the 1950s by the US writer L. Ron Hubbard, officially called the Church of Scientology. It aims to solve its members’ problems in life and to improve their ability to achieve what they want.//  -- Scientologist n //


Words: Scilly Isles
Meaning:
also the Isles of Scilly   the Scilly Isles//  a group of about 140 small islands off southwest England, five of which have people living on them. The Scilly Isles are popular with tourists, and the weather there is warmer than in the rest of Britain.//


Words: scimitar
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Italian; Origin: scimitarra, perhaps from  Persian shimshir]//  a sword with a curved blade that was used in the past//


Words: scintilla
Meaning:
n [singular ]   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: ’spark’]//  a very small amount of something//  scintilla of//  --There isn’t a scintilla of evidence to prove it.//


Words: scintillating
Meaning:
adj   interesting, clever, and amusing//  --scintillating conversation//  --a scintillating performance//


Words: scion
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: cion]//   literary a young member of a famous or important family//  scion of//  --a scion of an ancient Scottish family//


Words: scissors
Meaning:
n [plural]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cisoires, from  Late Latin cisorium  ’cutting tool’, from  Latin caedere  ’to cut’]//  a tool for cutting paper, cloth etc, made of two sharp blades fastened together in the middle, with holes for your finger and thumb//  --a pair of scissors //


Words: sclerosis
Meaning:
n [U]  technical   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: Greek sklerosis  ’hardening’, from  skleros  ’hard’]//  a disease that causes an organ or soft part of your body to become hard//  -- sclerotic/skl[hA369]r[hA361]t[hA366]k $ -r[hA35A][hA359]-/ adj //    multiple sclerosis//


Words: scoff
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 [I and T] to laugh at a person or idea, and talk about them in a way that shows you think they are stupid:   make fun of//  scoff at//  --David scoffed at her fears.//  --Officials scoffed at the idea.//  --’You, a scientist!’ he scoffed.//\n  2 [T]  BrE  informal to eat something very quickly:  --She scoffed the plate of biscuits.//


Words: scold
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1200-1300; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  to angrily criticize someone, especially a child, about something they have done//   tell off//  --Do not scold the puppy, but simply and firmly say ’no.’//  scold sb for (doing) sth//  --Her father scolded her for upsetting her mother.//  -- scolding n  [U and C] //  --I got a scolding from my teacher.//


Words: sconce
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: esconse  ’screen for a light’, from  escondre  ’to hide’, from  Latin abscondere;   ABSCOND]//  an object that is attached to a wall and holds candles or electric lights//


Words: scone
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Perhaps from  Dutch schoonbrood  ’fine white bread’, from  schoon  ’clean’ +  brood  ’bread’]//  a small round cake, sometimes containing dried fruit, which is usually eaten with butter//  --tea and scones//


Words: scoop
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Middle Dutch; Origin: schope]//\n  1 an important or exciting news story that is printed in one newspaper or shown on one television station before any of the others know about it:  --a journalist looking for a scoop//  2 a round deep spoon for serving food, for example ice cream or mashed potato//\n  3  also scoopful :  an amount of food served with a scoop//  scoop of//  --two scoops of ice cream//\n  4  AmE  informal information about something:  --the inside scoop  (=special information that other people do not have) on the markets//  what’s the scoop? (=used to ask for information or news) //\nscoop 2 v [T] \n  1 [always + adverb/preposition] to pick something up or remove it using a scoop or a spoon, or your curved hand:  --She bent down and scooped up the little dog.//  --Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.//\n  2 to be the first newspaper to print an important news report:  --Time and again we have scooped our rivals.//\n  3  BrE to win a prize or award:  --Britain scooped the top prize in the over 50s category.//  scoop up [scoop sth → up] phr v//  if a lot of people scoop something up, they buy it quickly so that soon there is none left//  --Fans scooped up the trading cards in the first few hours of the sale.//


Words: scoot
Meaning:
v  informal   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 [I] to move quickly and suddenly:  --There’s the bus - I’d better scoot!//  scoot off//  --She scooted off on her bike.//\n  2 [T]  especially AmE to make someone or something move a short distance by pulling or pushing:  --I scooted my chair over to their table.//  scoot over phr v//  to move to one side, especially in order to make room for someone or something else//  --He scooted over so I could sit down.//


Words: scooter
Meaning:
n [C]   1  also motor scooter //  a type of small, less powerful motorcycle with small wheels//\n  2 a child’s vehicle with two small wheels, an upright handle, and a narrow board that you stand on with one foot, while the other foot pushes against the ground:


Words: scope
Meaning:
W3   n   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Italian; Origin: scopo  ’purpose’, from  Greek skopos]//\n  1 [U] the range of things that a subject, activity, book etc deals with:  scope of//  --the need to define the scope of the investigation//  --measures to limit the scope of criminals’ activities//  beyond/outside/within the scope of sth//  --A full discussion of that issue is beyond the scope of this book.//  widen/broaden/extend etc the scope of sth //  --Let us extend the scope of the study to examine more factors.//  narrow/limit etc the scope of sth //  --The court’s ruling narrowed the scope of the affirmative action program.//  limited/wider etc in scope //  --His efforts were too limited in scope to have much effect.//\n  2 [U] the opportunity to do or develop something:  scope for//  --The scope for successful gardening increases dramatically with a greenhouse.//  there is considerable/great/little etc scope for sth //  --There is considerable scope for further growth in the economy.//\n  3 [singular]  informal a particular set of activities and the people who are involved in them:   scene//  the music/cinema/club etc scope //\nscope 2 v   scope out [scope sb/sth → out] phr v//  to look at something or someone to see what they are like//  --Let’s go inside and scope out the menu.//


Words: Scopes trial
Meaning:
the  also the Monkey Trial   a famous US court case in which John Scopes, a  biology teacher, was taken to a court of law in 1925 for teaching Darwin’s theory of Evolution, because this was against the law in the state of Tennessee, where the story of the  creation as told in the Old Testament of the Bible had to be taught in state schools. He was defended by the lawyer Clarence  Darrow, but was found guilty.//


Words: scorch
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1100-1200; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 [I and T] if you scorch something, or if it scorches, its surface burns slightly and changes colour:  --The walls had been blackened and scorched by fire.//\n  2 [T] if strong heat or wind scorches plants, it dries and damages them:  --Direct sunlight will scorch the plant’s leaves.//\n  3 [T] if strong heat scorches you, it burns you:  --The hot sand scorched our feet.//\n  4 [I always + adverb/preposition]  BrE  informal to travel extremely fast:  scorch along/down/across etc//  --He scorched out of the gate, almost crashing his new sports car.//  -- scorched adj //\nscorch 2 n \n  1 [C] a mark made on something where its surface has been burnt:  --There were scorch marks on the kitchen worktop where a hot pan had been placed.//\n  2 [U] brown colouring on plants caused by some plant diseases:


Words: scorched earth policy
Meaning:
n [C]   the destruction by an army of everything useful in an area, especially crops, so that the land cannot be used by an enemy//


Words: score
Meaning:
W2S3   n [C]   ----------//\n   1 in a game:\n   2 in a test or experiment:\n   3 music:\n   4 on that score:\n   5 know the score:\n   6 settle a score:\n   7 mark:  ----------//  [Date: 1000-1100; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skor  ’mark cut into a surface, count, twenty’]//\n  1 IN A GAME:  the number of points that each team or player has won in a game or competition//  --At half-time the score was one-all.//  --What’s the score?//  --Is anybody keeping score  (=making a record of the score) ?//  --The final score was Southampton two, Leeds United nil.//  score of//  --a score of 3-2//\n  2 IN A TEST OR EXPERIMENT:  a) the number of points a student has earned for correct answers in a test//  --The school’s test scores have not improved.//  score of//  --a score of 90%//  b) the number of points that a person or group of people gets in a scientific test or experiment//  score of//  --He had an IQ score of 120.//\n  3 MUSIC:  a written or printed copy of a piece of music, especially for a large group of performers, or the music itself//  --a musical score//  --Who wrote the score for the movie?//\n  4  on that score:   spoken concerning the particular thing you have just mentioned//  --As for the cost, you don’t need to worry on that score.//\n  5  know the score:   informal to know the real facts of a situation, including any unpleasant ones//  --We are trying to attract managers who know the score.//\n  6  settle a score:  to do something to harm or hurt someone who has harmed or hurt you in the past//  --Jack came back after five years to settle some old scores .//\n  7 MARK:  a mark that has been cut onto a surface with a sharp tool//  --deep scores in the wood//\nscore 2 W2 v   ----------//\n   1 win points:\n   2 give points:\n   3 score points:\n   4 succeed:\n   5 have sex:\n   6 line:\n   7 music:\n   8 get drugs:  Phrasal verbs//   score off somebody//   score something → out/through//  ----------//\n  1 WIN POINTS:   [I and T] to win a point in a sport, game, competition, or test//  --Great cheers went up when he scored in the final minute of the game.//  --She scored an average of 9.9 in the test.//  score a goal/point/run etc //  --He has scored 12 goals so far this season.//\n  2 GIVE POINTS:   [T] to give a particular number of points in a game, competition, test, or experiment//   mark//  --Each event will be scored separately.//  --Responses to the individual items are scored on a scale ranging from 0 to 12.//\n  3  score points:  a)  also score off sb  BrE //  to say or do something in an attempt to prove that you are better or cleverer than someone else//  --Too many MPs use debates as a chance to score political points.//  score points over/off//  --Advertising may be used to score points off the competition.//  b)  informal to do or say something to please someone or to make them respect you//  score points with//  --You’ll score points with your girlfriend if you send her roses.//\n  4 SUCCEED:   [I and T]  informal to be very successful in something you do//  --Her new book has scored a spectacular success .//\n  5 HAVE SEX:   [I]  informal to have sex with someone, especially someone you have just met//\n  6 LINE:   [T] to mark a line on a piece of paper, wood etc using a sharp instrument//  --Scoring the paper first makes it easier to fold.//\n  7 MUSIC:   [T usually passive] to arrange a piece of music for a group of instruments or voices//\n  8 GET DRUGS:   [I and T]  informal to manage to buy or get illegal drugs//  score off [score off sb] phr v//  to say or do something in an attempt to prove that you are better or cleverer than someone else//  --He liked scoring off his pupils in his days as a teacher.//  score out/through [score sth → out/through] phr v//  to draw a line through something that has been written//\nscore 3 number \n  1 :  plural  score a group of 20, or about 20, people or things//  a score of sth//  --Our coach was escorted by a score of policemen.//  three score years and ten  old use  (=70 years, a person’s expected length of life) //\n  2  scores of sth:  a lot of people or things//  --Scores of victims were killed.//\n  3  by the score:  in large numbers//  --Friends came to help by the score.//


Words: score draw
Meaning:
n [C]  BrE   a football match in which both teams score at least one  goal and the final score is 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 etc//


Words: scorecard
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a printed card used by someone watching a sports match or race to record what happens:\n  2 a system that is used for checking or testing something:


Words: scoreless
Meaning:
adj   if a sports match or part of a sports match is scoreless, nobody scores any points or goals//  --a scoreless first half//


Words: scorer
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1  also scorekeeper /sk[hA350][hA359]ki[hA359]p[hA353] $ sk[hA350][hA359]rki[hA359]p[hA353]r/:  someone who keeps an official record of the points won in a sports game//\n  2 a player who wins a point or goal:  top/leading/highest scorer //  --He was Palace’s top scorer.//


Words: scoresheet
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a special piece of paper on which someone records the points won in a sports match:\n  2  get (your name) on the scoresheet:   BrE to score one or more goals or points in football, rugby, and some other sports//


Words: scorn
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: escarn]//\n  1 the feeling that someone or something is stupid or does not deserve respect:   contempt//  scorn for//  --He felt scorn for his working-class parents.//  with scorn//  --Rachel looked at me with scorn.//\n  2  pour scorn on sb/sth:   also heap scorn on sb/sth  AmE //  to strongly criticize someone or something because you think they do not deserve respect//  --Labour poured scorn on the Tory claim to be the party of law and order.//\nscorn 2 v [T] \n  1 to show that you think that something is stupid, unreasonable, or not worth accepting:  --Many women scorn the use of make-up.//\n  2 to criticize someone or something because you think they do not deserve respect:  --He scorned the government’s record in dealing with crime.//


Words: scornful
Meaning:
adj   feeling or showing scorn//  --a scornful look//  scornful of//  --He was scornful of the women’s movement.//  -- scornfully adv //


Words: Scorpio
Meaning:
n   plural  Scorpios //  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin:  SCORPION]//\n  1 [U] the eighth sign of the zodiac, represented by a scorpion, which some people believe affects the character and life of people born between October 24 and November 22:\n  2 [C] someone who was born between October 24 and November 22:


Words: scorpion
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin scorpio, from  Greek skorpios]//  a tropical animal like an insect with a curving tail and a poisonous sting//


Words: Scorsese
Meaning:
Martin   (1942- ) a US film director whose films often deal with violent subjects. He has made many of his films with the actor Robert  De Niro, including  Taxi Driver (1976),  Raging Bull (1980),  Goodfellas (1990), and  Cape Fear (1991).//


Words: Scot
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 800-900; Language: Late Latin; Origin: Scotus  ’Irishman’]//  someone from Scotland//


Words: scot-free
Meaning:
adv   [Date: 1200-1300; Origin: scot  ’tax’ (13-19 centuries), from  Old Norse skot  ’shot, payment’]//  get away/off scot-free//   informal to avoid being punished although you deserve to be//


Words: scotch
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  Perhaps from  Anglo-French escocher  ’to make a cut in a surface’]//  to stop something happening by firmly doing something to prevent it//  --He issued an announcement to scotch rumours of his death.//\nScotch 1 n [U and C]   a strong alcoholic drink made in Scotland, or a glass of this//  --Two scotches, please.//\nScotch 2 adj  old-fashioned    Scottish//


Words: Scotch tape
Meaning:
n [U]  trademark  AmE   thin clear plastic tape that is sticky on one side, used for sticking light things such as paper together//  -- scotch tape v  [T] //


Words: Scotland
Meaning:
a country in the United Kingdom, north of England. Population: 5,062,011 (2001). Capital: Edinburgh. Scotland was an independent country until the Scottish and English parliaments were united by the ’Act of Union’ in 1707, and it still has a different legal system and a different education system from the rest of the UK. Since 1999, Scotland has had its own parliament, although it is part of the UK. Scottish Gaelic is still spoken by some people in the northwest of the country and in the islands off the west coast. Scotland is famous for its beautiful countryside and its many lochs (=lakes) , islands, and mountains. The national  symbol of Scotland is the  thistle, and its  patron saint is Saint Andrew. People from Scotland are called Scots.//


Words: Scotsman
Meaning:
n   plural  Scotsmen /-m[hA353]n/ [C] //  a man from Scotland//\n The   a serious Scottish daily newspaper//


Words: Scott
Meaning:
Captain Robert Falcon   (1868-1912) an officer in the British navy, who is often called Scott of the Antarctic. He made two journeys to the Antarctic to try to be the first person to reach the  South Pole. He and his group reached the South Pole in 1912, shortly after the Norwegian  explorer Roald  Amundsen, but Scott’s group all died on the way back. His  journal, in which he describes their terrible journey, was discovered a year later.//\n Dred     Dred Scott Case, the//\n Ronnie   (1927-96) a British  saxophone player who started the UK’s most famous  jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s in London//\n Sir Walter   (1771-1832) a Scottish writer and poet who was one of the most popular British writers of the 19th century. He wrote many  historical novels based on Scottish history, such as  Rob Roy, and on old English stories, such as  Ivanhoe. One of his best known poems is  The Lady of the Lake.//


Words: Scottish Legal System
Meaning:
the  also Scots Law   the system of law in Scotland which is based on  civil law, and is different from that of England and Wales, although the highest court of law in all three countries is the  House of Lords. When laws are made in the British parliament, they do not always become law in Scotland because the legal system is different there.//


Words: Scottish Parliament
Meaning:
the parliament for Scotland which was established in 1999 and has the power to make laws in Scotland. The leader of the parliament is the First Minister, and its 129 members are called MSPs, or Members of the Scottish Parliament. They are elected by a system of  proportional representation.//


Words: Scottish Play
Meaning:
the   a name for Shakespeare’s play  Macbeth, used by actors because they believe that it is unlucky to say Macbeth//


Words: Scotty
Meaning:
also Mr Scott   a character in the  Star Trek films and television programmes, known especially for the phrase said to him by the other characters  ’Beam me up, Scotty.’//


Words: scoundrel
Meaning:
n [C]  old-fashioned   a bad or dishonest man, especially someone who cheats or deceives other people//


Words: scour
Meaning:
v [T]   [Sense: 1; Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language.]//  [Sense: 2-3; Date: 1100-1200; Origin:  Probably from  Middle Dutch schuren, from  Old French escurer, from  Late Latin excurare  ’to clean off’, from  Latin cura  ’care’]//\n  1 to search very carefully and thoroughly through an area, a document etc:  scour sth for sth//  --Her family began to scour the countryside for a suitable house.//\n  2  also scour out :  to clean something very thoroughly by rubbing it with a rough material//   scrub//  --Ada was scouring out the pans.//\n  3  also scour out :  to form a hole by continuous movement over a long period//  --Over the years, the stream had scoured out a round pool in the rock.//


Words: scourer
Meaning:
n  also scouring pad  [C]   a small ball of wire or rough plastic for cleaning cooking pots and pans//


Words: scourge
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Anglo-French; Origin: escorge, from  Old French escorgier  ’to whip’, from  Latin  corrigia  ’long thin piece of leather’]//\n  1 something that causes a lot of harm or suffering:  scourge of//  --the scourge of unemployment//  --the scourge of war//\n  2 a whip used to punish people in the past:\nscourge 2 v [T] \n  1 to cause a lot of harm or suffering to a place or group of people:\n  2 to hit someone with a whip as punishment in the past:


Words: Scouse
Meaning:
n [U]  BrE   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: lobscouse, name of a type of stew eaten by sailors  (18-20 centuries), of unknown origin]//  the way of speaking that is typical of people from Liverpool//  -- Scouse adj //


Words: scout
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 :  a)  the Scouts//  an organization for boys that teaches them practical skills//  b)  also boy scout //  a boy who is a member of this organization//\n  2  AmE  also Girl Scout :  a girl who is a member of an organization for girls that teaches them practical things//  British Equivalent:  guide//\n  3 a soldier, plane etc that is sent to search the area in front of an army and get information about the enemy:  --He sent three scouts ahead to take a look at the bridge.//\n  4  also  talent scout:  someone whose job is to look for good sports players, musicians etc in order to employ them//  --He was spotted by a scout at the age of 13.//\nscout 2 v   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: escouter  ’to listen’, from  Latin auscultare]//\n  1 [I]  also scout around/round :  to look for something in a particular area//  scout for//  --I’m scouting round for a place to stay.//\n  2 [T]  also scout out :  to examine a place or area in order to get information about it//  --American companies are keen to scout out business opportunities in Vietnam.//\n  3 [I and T] to find out about the abilities of sports players, musicians etc in order to employ them:


Words: scowl
Meaning:
v [I]   [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  to look at someone in an angry way//    frown//  --Patrick scowled, but did as he was told.//  scowl at//  --Mum scowled at him and refused to say anything.//\nscowl 2 n [C]   an angry or disapproving expression on someone’s face//    frown//  --She looked at me with a scowl on her face.//


Words: scrabble
Meaning:
preposition]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Dutch; Origin: schrabbelen  ’to scratch’]//  to try to find or do something very quickly, usually by moving your hands or feet in an uncontrolled way//  scrabble for//  --He scrabbled for the light switch.//  scrabble around/about//  --She was scrabbling around, searching for the door.//


Words: scraggly
Meaning:
adj  informal   growing in a way that looks uneven and in bad condition//  --his scraggly gray beard //


Words: scram
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scrammed present participle  scramming  [I usually in imperative]  informal //  [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: scramble]//  to leave a place very quickly, especially so that you do not get caught//  --Scram, you two!//


Words: scramble
Meaning:
v   ----------//\n   1 climb:\n   2 move quickly:\n   3 do something quickly:\n   4 compete:\n   5 information/message:\n   6 mix :\n   7 scramble an egg:\n   8 scramble somebody’s brains:\n   9 aircraft:  ----------//  [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Perhaps from  scrabble]//\n  1 CLIMB:   [I always + adverb/preposition] to climb up, down, or over something quickly and with difficulty, especially using your hands to help you//  scramble up/down/over etc//  --They tried to scramble up the cliff.//  --She scrambled down the tree as quickly as she could.//\n  2 MOVE QUICKLY:   [ I always + adverb/preposition] to move somewhere in a hurried awkward way//  scramble to/out/from etc//  --Alan scrambled out of the way.//  --Micky scrambled to his feet  (=stood up very quickly and awkwardly) and hurried into the kitchen.//\n  3 DO SOMETHING QUICKLY:   [T] to try to do something difficult very quickly//  scramble to do sth//  --They were scrambling to give the impression that the situation was in control.//\n  4 COMPETE:   [I] to struggle or compete with other people to get or reach something//  scramble for//  --Thousands of people will be scrambling for tickets.//\n  5 INFORMATION/MESSAGE:   [T] to use special equipment to mix messages, radio signals etc into a different form, so that they cannot be understood by other people without the correct equipment//  --Our conversation will be electronically scrambled.//\n  6 MIX :   [T] to mix words, ideas, sentences etc so that they are not in the right order and do not make sense//  --In this exercise, the words in each sentence are scrambled.//\n  7  scramble an egg:  to cook an egg by mixing the white and yellow parts together and heating it in a pan//\n  8  scramble sb’s brains:   informal to make someone unable to think clearly or reasonably//  --Maybe the alcohol has scrambled his brains.//\n  9 AIRCRAFT:   [I] if a military plane scrambles, it goes up into the air very quickly in order to escape or to attack an enemy//\nscramble 2 n \n  1 [singular] a difficult climb in which you have to use your hands to help you:  --The village was a 20-minute scramble away.//\n  2 [singular] a situation in which people compete with and push each other in order to get what they want:  scramble for//  --the usual scramble for the bathroom every morning//  scramble to do sth//  --a scramble to carry the baggage into the house//\n  3 [singular] a situation in which something has to be done very quickly, with a lot of rushing around:  --It was a mad scramble trying to get things ready in time.//\n  4 [C]  BrE a motorcycle race over rough ground:


Words: scrambler
Meaning:
n [C]   a machine that mixes up a radio or telephone message so that it cannot be understood without special equipment//


Words: scrambling
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 the activity of climbing over rocks using your hands but no ropes:\n  2  BrE the activity of racing on motorcycles over rough ground:


Words: scrap
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 paper/cloth:\n   2 old objects:\n   3 food:\n   4 information:\n   5 fight:  ----------//  [Sense: 1-4; Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skrap  ’scraps’]//  [Sense: 5; Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  Perhaps from  scrape]//\n  1 PAPER/CLOTH:   [C] a small piece of paper, cloth etc//  scrap of//  --He wrote his address on a scrap of paper.//  --a rug made out of old scraps of material//\n  2 OLD OBJECTS:   [U] materials or objects that are no longer used for the purpose they were made for, but can be used again in another way//  --The equipment was sold for scrap .//  -- Scrap metal  (=metal from old cars, machines etc) fetched high prices after the war.//\n  3 FOOD:   scraps [plural] pieces of food that are left after you have finished eating//  --My mother fed the dog on scraps to save money.//  table/kitchen scraps  AmE //\n  4 INFORMATION:   [C] a small amount of information, truth etc//  scrap of//  --He obtained every scrap of information available.//  --There isn’t a single scrap of evidence.//\n  5 FIGHT:   [C]  informal a short fight or argument//  --He’s always getting into scraps with other dogs.//\nscrap 2 v   past tense and past participle  scrapped present participle  scrapping //\n  1 [T] to decide not to use a plan or system because it is not practical:  --We believe that car tax should be scrapped.//\n  2 [T] to get rid of an old machine, vehicle etc, and use its parts in some other way:  --The navy’s biggest aircraft carrier is being scrapped this year.//\n  3 [I]  informal to have a short fight:


Words: scrap paper
Meaning:
n [U]   paper, often paper that has already been used on one side, that you use for making notes, lists etc//


Words: scrapbook
Meaning:
n [C]   a book with empty pages where you can stick pictures, newspaper articles, or other things you want to keep//


Words: scrape
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skrapa]//\n  1 [T] to remove something from a surface using the edge of a knife, a stick etc:  --Scrape the carrots and slice them thinly.//  scrape sth away/off//  --The earth was scraped away to uncover a trap door.//  scrape sth off/into etc sth//  --Teresa scraped the mud off her boots.//  --The two of them scraped their dishes clean .//\n  2 [I,T always + adverb/preposition] to rub against a rough surface in a way that causes slight damage or injury, or to make something do this:    graze//  --The coat was too long; the hem scraped the pavement.//  scrape against/on etc//  --I heard the side of the car scrape against the wall.//  scrape sth against/on sth//  --I scraped my knee painfully on the concrete.//\n  3 [I and T] to make a noise by rubbing roughly against a surface:  --Chairs scraped loudly as they stood up.//  scrape (sth) on/down/against sth//  --He opened the gate quietly, trying not to let it scrape on the gravel.//\n  4  scrape home:   especially BrE to win a race, election, or competition by a very small amount//  --The Tories may scrape home, but it’s unlikely.//\n  5  scrape (the bottom of) the barrel:   informal to have to use something even though it is not very good, because there is nothing better available//  --It was clear that the party was scraping the barrel for competent politicians.//    bow and scrape at bow1 (5),  scrape/scratch a living at living2 (1)//  scrape back [scrape sth → back] phr v//  if you scrape your hair back, you pull it away from your face and tie it at the back//  --Her blonde hair was scraped back into a ponytail.//  scrape by phr v//\n  1 to have just enough money to live:  --In the rural areas, people could scrape by, thanks to what they grew themselves.//\n  2 to only just succeed in passing an examination or dealing with a difficult situation:  scrape in phr v//  to only just succeed in getting a job, a place at university, a position in government etc//  --Labour scraped in by a small majority.//  --He just scraped into college.//  scrape through () [scrape through (sth)] phr v//  to only just succeed in passing an examination or dealing with a difficult situation//  --I managed to scrape through the exam.//  scrape together/up [scrape sth → together/up] phr v//  to get enough money for a particular purpose, when this is difficult//  --She scraped together the last of her savings.//  --They could hardly scrape up enough money for the train fare.//\nscrape 2 n \n  1 [C] a mark or slight injury caused by rubbing against a rough surface:   graze//  --I came away from the accident with only cuts and scrapes.//\n  2 [C]  informal a situation in which you are in trouble or have difficulties:  --He got into all sorts of scrapes as a boy.//\n  3 [singular] the noise made when one surface rubs roughly against another:  scrape of//  --He heard the scrape of chairs being dragged across the floor.//


Words: scrapheap
Meaning:
n \n  1  on the scrapheap:   informal not wanted or used any more - used especially when this seems unfair//  --Three years later he was on the political scrapheap.//\n  2 [C] a pile of unwanted things, especially pieces of metal:


Words: scrapie
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  SCRAPE1; because the sheep rub themselves against something to stop the itching]//  a serious disease that sheep get//


Words: scrappy
Meaning:
adj \n  1  BrE untidy or badly organized:  --scrappy notes from the meeting//\n  2  AmE  informal having a determined character and always willing to compete, argue, or fight:  --a scrappy team that plays hard//


Words: scratch
Meaning:
v   ----------//\n   1 rub your skin:\n   2 cut somebody’s skin:\n   3 make a mark:\n   4 animals:\n   5 remove something:\n   6 remove writing:\n   7 make a noise:\n   8 scratch the surface:\n   9 scratch your head:\n  10 stop something happening:\n  11 remove from race:\n  12 you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours:  Phrasal verbs//   scratch around//   scratch something → out//  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Origin:  Probably from  scrat  ’to scratch’ (13-19 centuries) +  cratch  ’to scratch’ (13-16 centuries)]//\n  1 RUB YOUR SKIN:   [I and T] to rub your skin with your nails because it feels uncomfortable//    itch//  --John yawned and scratched his leg.//  --Try not to scratch.//  scratch at//  --He was scratching at the bites on his arm.//\n  2 CUT SOMEBODY’S SKIN:   [I and T] to cut someone’s skin slightly with your nails or with something sharp//  --She ran at him and scratched his face.//  --Don’t scratch yourself on the thorns.//\n  3 MAKE A MARK:   [T] to make a small cut or mark on something by pulling something sharp across it//  --I’m afraid I’ve scratched your car.//  --Some of the prisoners had scratched their names on the walls.//\n  4 ANIMALS:   [I always + adverb/preposition] if an animal scratches, it rubs its feet against something, often making a noise//  --A few chickens scratched around in the yard.//  scratch at//  --a dog scratching at the door to be let in//\n  5 REMOVE SOMETHING:   [T always + adverb/preposition] to remove something from a surface by rubbing it with something sharp//  scratch sth off/away etc//  --I scratched away a little of the paint with my fingernail.//\n  6 REMOVE WRITING:   [T always + adverb/preposition] to remove a word from a piece of writing by drawing a line through it//  scratch sth from/off sth//  --I have scratched his name from the list.//\n  7 MAKE A NOISE:   [I always + adverb/preposition] to make a rough sound by moving something sharp across a surface//  --His pen scratched away on the paper.//\n  8  scratch the surface:  to deal with only a very small part of a subject or problem//  scratch the surface of//  --I think we have only scratched the surface of this problem.//\n  9  scratch your head:   informal to think carefully about a difficult question or problem//  --This crisis has politicians scratching their heads and wondering what to do.//\n  10 STOP SOMETHING HAPPENING:   [T]  informal if you scratch an idea or a plan, you decide that you will not do it//\n  11 REMOVE FROM RACE:   [I and T]  informal if someone scratches from a race, or if you scratch them from the race, they do not take part in it//\n  12  you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours:   spoken used to say that you will help someone if they agree to help you//    scrape/scratch a living at living2 (1)//  scratch around phr v//  to try to find or get something which is difficult to find or get//  scratch around for//  --homeless people scratching around for a place to shelter//  scratch out [scratch sth → out] phr v//  to remove a word from a piece of writing by drawing a line through it//  --Emma’s name had been scratched out.//\nscratch 2 n   ----------//\n   1 cut:\n   2 mark:\n   3 from scratch:\n   4 up to scratch:\n   5 rub:\n   6 sound:  ----------//\n  1 CUT:   [C] a small cut on someone’s skin//  --There were deep scratches all over her face.//  --Don’t worry, it’s only a scratch  (=not a serious injury) .//  --She was unharmed apart from a few cuts and scratches.//\n  2 MARK:   [C] a thin mark or cut on the surface of something//  --There was a big scratch on the car door.//\n  3  from scratch:  if you start something from scratch, you begin it without using anything that existed or was prepared before//  --We had to start again from scratch .//  --He had built the business up from scratch .//\n  4  up to scratch:   BrE  informal good enough for a particular standard//  --Some of this work isn’t up to scratch.//  bring/get sth up to scratch //  --We spent thousands of pounds getting the house up to scratch.//\n  5 RUB:   [singular]  especially BrE when you rub part of your body with your nails because it feels uncomfortable//  --He stretched and had a scratch .//  --He brushed his hair and gave his scalp a good scratch .//\n  6 SOUND:   [C] a sound made by something sharp or rough being rubbed on a hard surface//  --I heard the scratch of a match lighting a cigarette.//\nscratch 3 adj [no comparative] \n  1 a scratch team or group of people has been put together in a hurry, using anyone that is available:\n  2 a scratch player in golf is very good and is not given any advantage in games:


Words: scratch paper
Meaning:
n [U]  AmE   cheap paper, or paper that has already been used on one side, that you use for writing notes//   scrap paper//


Words: scratchcard
Meaning:
also  scratch card/skr[zB024]t[hA35D]k[hA35A][hA359]d $ -k[hA35A][hA359]rd/ n [C]  BrE   a small card you can buy which gives you a chance to win a prize. You rub off the surface of the card to find out whether you have won anything.//


Words: scratchings
Meaning:
n [plural]  BrE   small pieces of pig’s skin that have been cooked in hot fat and are eaten cold//  American Equivalent:  pork rinds//


Words: scratchpad
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1  AmE several sheets of cheap paper that are joined together into a small book you can write notes in:\n  2 a small screen on a mobile phone that lets you write short notes and stores them for you:


Words: scratchy
Meaning:
adj \n  1 something that is scratchy feels rough against your skin:  --a scratchy woollen jumper//\n  2 a scratchy voice or musical sound is rough and not smooth and pleasant:  --a scratchy old recording of some folk songs//


Words: scrawl
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1600-1700; Origin:  Perhaps from  crawl, influenced by  scrawl  ’to lie carelessly’ (14-19 centuries)]//  to write in a careless and untidy way, so that your words are not easy to read//    scribble//  --He scrawled his name at the bottom of the page.//\nscrawl 2 n [U and C]   untidy, careless writing//  --The note was written in his usual illegible scrawl.//


Words: scrawny
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: scranny  ’thin’ (1800-1900), probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  a scrawny person or animal looks very thin and weak//  --a scrawny kid in jeans and a T-shirt//  --a few scrawny hens//


Words: scream
Meaning:
v \n  1 [I] to make a loud high noise with your voice because you are hurt, frightened, excited etc:   shriek//  --After the first few shots, people started screaming.//  --a screaming baby//  scream with/in//  --She jumped to her feet, screaming in terror.//  --The children were screaming with laughter .//  --She was screaming her head off  (=screaming a lot) .//  --She began to scream blue murder  (=scream very loudly) .//  --He was dragged kicking and screaming to a nearby van.//\n  2 [I and T]  also scream out :  to shout something in a very loud high voice because you are angry or frightened//   yell//  --’Get out!’ she screamed.//  --He screamed out her name.//  scream for//  --I screamed for help.//  scream at//  --He screamed at her to go away.//  --The crowd continued to scream abuse at him.//\n  3 [I] to make a very loud high noise:  --The police car approached, its siren screaming.//\nscream 2 n [C]   [Date: 1200-1300; Origin:  Perhaps from  Middle Dutch schreem]//\n  1 a loud high sound that you make with your voice because you are hurt, frightened, excited etc:   shriek//  --We heard screams coming from the flat.//  --She saw the knife and let out a scream .//  scream of laughter/terror etc //  --He fell back with a scream of terror and pain.//\n  2 a very loud high sound:  --the scream of a jet taking off//\n  3  a scream:   informal someone or something that is very funny//  --The film was a scream!//


Words: scree
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Old Norse; Origin: skritha  ’landslide’]//  an area of loose soil and broken rocks on the side of a mountain//  --a scree slope//


Words: screech
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: scritch  ’to screech’ (13-20 centuries), from the sound]//\n  1 [I and T] to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited:   shriek, scream//  --’Look out!’ she screeched.//  --They  screeched with laughter .//  screech at//  --She screeched at me to take off my muddy shoes.//\n  2 [I] if a vehicle screeches, its wheels make a high unpleasant noise as it moves along or stops:  --A van screeched onto the road in front of me.//  --The car screeched to a halt .//  -- screech n  [C] //  --a screech of laughter//  --a screech of tyres//


Words: screen
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 television/computer:\n   2 film:\n   3 movable wall:\n   4 something that hides:\n   5 test for illness:\n   6 door/window:\n   7 church:\n   8 sports:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: escren, from  Middle Dutch scherm]//\n  1 TELEVISION/COMPUTER:   [C] the part of a television or computer where the picture or information appears//    monitor//  --a computer with an 18-inch colour screen//  --He went on staring at the TV screen .//  on (a) screen//  --Her picture appeared on the screen.//  --It’s easy to change the text on screen before printing it.//\n  2 FILM:  a)  [C] the large white surface that pictures are shown on in a cinema//  --He was horrified at some of the images he saw on the screen.//  b)  [singular, U] films in general//  --This is the first time the play has been adapted for the big screen  (=films) .//  --a star of stage and screen  (=the theatre and films) //  on screen//  --his first appearance on screen//  --a well-known screen actor//\n  3 MOVABLE WALL:   [C] a piece of furniture like a thin wall that can be moved around and is used to divide one part of a room from another//  --There was a screen around his bed.//\n  4 SOMETHING THAT HIDES:  a)  [C] something tall and wide that hides a place or thing//  screen of//  --The house was hidden behind a screen of bushes.//  b)  [singular] something that hides what someone is doing//  screen for//  --The business was just a screen for his drug-dealing activities.//\n  5 TEST FOR ILLNESS:   [C]  BrE a medical test to see whether someone has an illness//  American Equivalent:  screening//  --The company is offering a free health screen to all employees.//\n  6 DOOR/WINDOW:   [C] a wire net fastened inside a frame in front of a window or door to keep insects out//\n  7 CHURCH:   [C] a decorative wall in some churches//\n  8 SPORTS:   [C] a player in a game such as basketball who protects the player who has the ball//    smokescreen,  sunscreen//\nscreen 2 v [T]   ----------//\n   1 test for illness:\n   2 hide something:\n   3 film/television:\n   4 test employees etc:\n   5 check things:  Phrasal verbs//   screen something → off//   screen something → out//  ----------//\n  1 TEST FOR ILLNESS:  to do tests on a lot of people to find out whether they have a particular illness//  --All women over 50 will be regularly screened.//  screen sb for sth//  --It is now possible to screen babies for diabetes.//\n  2 HIDE SOMETHING:  if something screens something else, it is in front of it and hides it//  screen sth from sth//  --A line of trees screened the house from the road.//\n  3 FILM/TELEVISION:  to show a film or television programme//  --The film is now being screened at cinemas around the country.//  --The match will be screened live on television.//\n  4 TEST EMPLOYEES ETC:  to find out information about people in order to decide whether you can trust them//  --Police are very careful when screening politicians’ bodyguards.//  --Applicants are screened for security.//\n  5 CHECK THINGS:  to check things to see whether they are acceptable or suitable//  --You can use an answerphone to screen your phone calls before you answer them.//  screen off [screen sth → off] phr v//  to separate one part of a room from the rest by putting a thin temporary wall or a curtain across it//  --The back part of the room had been screened off.//  screen out [screen sth → out] phr v//\n  1 to prevent something harmful from passing through:  --Sun lotions screen out damaging ultraviolet light.//\n  2 to remove people or things that are not acceptable or not suitable:  --An answering service can screen out nuisance calls.//


Words: screen door
Meaning:
n [C]  AmE   a door with wire net fastened inside a frame, which is used outside the main door of a building to keep insects out//


Words: screen dump
Meaning:
n [C]   a picture of everything that appears on a computer screen at a particular time, which can be saved and put into a computer document, for example to show how to use a computer program//


Words: screen printing
Meaning:
n [U]   a way of printing pictures by forcing paint or ink through a specially prepared cloth onto paper or cloth//  -- screen print v  [T] //


Words: screen saver
Meaning:
n [C]   a computer program that makes a moving image appear on the screen when the image on it has not changed for a period of time, especially so that the screen does not become damaged//


Words: screen test
Meaning:
n [C]   an occasion when someone is filmed while they are performing, in order to see if they are suitable to act in a film//


Words: screening
Meaning:
n \n  1 [U and C] the showing of a film or television programme:  --a screening of Spielberg’s new movie//\n  2 [U] medical tests that are done on a lot of people to make sure that they do not have a particular disease:  screening for//  --screening for breast cancer//\n  3 [U] tests or checks that are done to make sure that people or things are acceptable or suitable for a particular purpose:  --security screening of airline passengers//


Words: screenplay
Meaning:
n [C]   the words that are written down for actors to say in a film, and the instructions that tell them what they should do//   script//


Words: screw
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: escroe  ’inner screw, nut’, from  Latin scrofa  ’female pig’]//\n  1 a thin pointed piece of metal that you push and turn in order to fasten pieces of metal or wood together:    nail//  --Fix the frame in position and tighten the screws .//\n  2 :  a)  informal  not polite an offensive word meaning an act of having sex//  b)  a good screw//   informal  not polite a very offensive word for someone who is good at having sex//\n  3  have a screw loose:   informal to be slightly crazy//\n  4  put/tighten the screws on sb:   informal to force someone to do something by threatening them//  --The government has started to tighten the screws on illegal share dealers.//\n  5  BrE  informal a prison officer - used especially by prisoners:\nscrew 2 v   ----------//\n   1 attach:\n   2 close by turning:\n   3 paper/cloth:\n   4 sex:\n   5 screw you/him etc:\n   6 cheat:  Phrasal verbs//   screw around//   screw up//  ----------//\n  1 ATTACH:   [T always + adverb/preposition] to attach one thing to another using a screw//    nail//  screw sth into/onto/to sth//  --The chairs were screwed to the floor.//  --The wooden frame should be screwed onto the wall.//\n  2 CLOSE BY TURNING:   [I,T always + adverb/preposition] to fasten or close something by turning it, or to be fastened in this way//  → unscrew//  screw (sth) on/onto sth//  --The lens screws onto the front of the camera.//  --She carefully screwed the cap back onto the toothpaste.//\n  3 PAPER/CLOTH:   [T always + adverb/preposition]  also screw up //  to twist paper or cloth into a small round shape//  --She screwed the letter up and threw it in the bin.//  screw sth (up) into sth//  --I screwed my handkerchief into a ball.//\n  4 SEX:   [I and T]  taboo an offensive word meaning to have sex with someone//\n  5  screw you/him etc:   spoken  not polite an offensive expression used to show that you are very angry with someone//\n  6 CHEAT:   [T]  not polite to cheat someone in order to get money from them//  screw sb for sth//  --They screwed us for $60 in the end.//    have your head screwed on (straight) at head1 (3c)//  screw around phr v//\n  1  informal to do silly things that may cause trouble:   mess around//  --The kids were screwing around down by the bus station.//\n  2  not polite an offensive expression meaning to have sex with a lot of different people:  screw up phr v//\n  1  informal to make a bad mistake or do something very stupid:   mess up//  --You’d better not screw up this time.//\n  2  screw sth → up:   informal to spoil something by doing something stupid//   mess something up//  --She realized that she had screwed up her life.//\n  3  screw up your eyes/face:  to move the muscles in your face in a way that makes your eyes seem narrow//  --He screwed up his eyes against the bright light.//  --Her face was screwed up with pain.//\n  4  screw sb → up:   informal to make someone feel very unhappy, confused, or upset so that they have emotional problems for a long time//   mess somebody up//  --It really screwed her up when her mother died.//    screwed up//\n  5  screw up the/enough courage to do sth:   also screw up your courage //  to be brave enough to do something you are very nervous about//  --I finally screwed up enough courage to talk to her.//


Words: screw top
Meaning:
n [C]   a top for a bottle or other container that you fasten on by turning it//  -- screw-top adj  [only before noun] //


Words: screwdriver
Meaning:
n [C]   1 a tool with a narrow blade at one end that you use for turning screws//\n  2 an alcoholic drink made from vodka and orange juice:


Words: screwed up
Meaning:
adj  informal   someone who is screwed up has a lot of emotional problems because of bad or unhappy experiences in the past//


Words: scribble
Meaning:
v   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: scribillare, from  Latin scribere;   SCRIBE]//\n  1 [T]  also scribble down :  to write something quickly and untidily//  --I scribbled his phone number in my address book.//  --He scribbled down our names.//\n  2 [I] to draw marks that have no meaning:  --Someone had scribbled all over my picture.//\nscribble 2 n \n  1 [U]  also scribbles :  meaningless marks or pictures, especially done by children//\n  2 [singular, U] untidy writing that is difficult to read:  --I couldn’t read his scribble.//


Words: scribe
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Latin; Origin: scriba, from  scribere  ’to write’]//\n  1 someone in the past whose job was to make written copies of official documents:\n  2 a journalist - used humorously:


Words: scrimmage
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin: skirmish]//\n  1  informal a fight:\n  2  AmE a practice game of football, basketball etc:


Words: scrimp
Meaning:
v [I]   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  to try to save as much money as you can, even though you have very little//  --They scrimped and saved for years to buy their own home.//


Words: script
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: scriptum  ’something written’, from  scribere;   SCRIBE]//\n  1 [C] the written form of a speech, play, film etc:    screenplay//  --They write all their own scripts.//  --a film script//\n  2 [U and C] the set of letters that are used in writing a language:  --Arabic script//\n  3 [C]  BrE a piece of work that a student writes in an examination:\n  4 [singular, U]  formal writing done by hand:  --a diary entry written in neat black script//


Words: scripture
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: scriptura  ’something written’, from  scribere;   SCRIBE]//\n  1  Scripture [U]  also the (Holy) Scriptures :  the Bible//  --the way God is portrayed in Scripture//\n  2 [U and C] the holy books of a particular religion:  --Hindu scriptures//


Words: scriptwriter
Meaning:
n [C]   someone who writes the stories and words for films or television programmes//   screenwriter//    playwright//


Words: scroll
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin: scrow  ’scroll’ (13-17 centuries), from  Old French escroue  ’piece of paper, scroll’; influenced by  roll]//\n  1 a long piece of paper that can be rolled up, and is used as an official document:\n  2 a design shaped like a piece of rolled up paper:\nscroll 2 v [I always + adverb/preposition]   to move information on a computer screen up or down so that you can read it//  scroll through//  --He scrolled through the document.//  scroll up/down//  --Could you scroll down a few lines?//


Words: scroll bar
Meaning:
n [C]   a part on the side of a computer screen that you move using a  mouse in order to move up or down//


Words: Scrooge
Meaning:
scrooge/skru[hA359]d[hA360]/ n [C]  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Ebenezer  Scrooge, character in A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens]//  someone who hates spending money//  --You’re turning into a real scrooge!//


Words: scrotum
Meaning:
n   plural  scrota /-t[hA353]/ or  scrotums  [C] //  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin]//  the bag of skin that contains a man’s testicles//


Words: scrounge
Meaning:
v [I and T]  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: scrunge  ’to steal’ (1900-2000)]//  to get money or something you want by asking other people for it rather than by paying for it yourself//  scrounge for//  --a group of children scrounging for food//  scrounge sth off/from sb//  --I managed to scrounge some money off my dad.//  scrounge around (for sth)//   AmE //  --Leroy would scrounge around for old car parts.//  -- scrounger n  [C] //\nscrounge 2 n   be on the scrounge//   BrE  informal to be trying to get money or things you want by asking other people for them//


Words: scrub
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scrubbed present participle  scrubbing //  [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Low German; Origin:  or a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 [I and T] to rub something hard, especially with a stiff brush, in order to clean it:  --She was on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor.//  --He scrubbed the dirt off his boots.//  --The table needs to be scrubbed clean .//  scrub at//  --She scrubbed at her face with a tissue.//    clean//\n  2 [T]  informal to decide not to do something that you had planned:   cancel//  --We scrubbed the idea in the end.//  scrub out [scrub sth → out] phr v//  to clean the inside of a place thoroughly//  --The rooms are all scrubbed out once a week.//  scrub up phr v//  to wash your hands and arms before doing a medical operation//\nscrub 2 n   [Sense: 1; Date: 1300-1400; Origin: shrub]//  [Sense: 2; Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  SCRUB1]//\n  1 [U] low bushes and trees that grow in very dry soil:\n  2 [singular]  especially BrE if you give something a scrub, you clean it by rubbing it hard:  --I gave the floor a good scrub .//


Words: scrubber
Meaning:
n [C]    BrE  taboo  old-fashioned informal an offensive word for a woman who has sex for money, or has sex with a lot of different men. Do not use this word.//


Words: scrubby
Meaning:
adj \n  1 scrubby land is covered by low bushes:\n  2 scrubby trees and bushes are small and do not look very healthy:


Words: scruff
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin: scuff  ’back of the neck’ (18-19 centuries), perhaps from  Old Norse skoft  ’hair of the head’]//\n  1  by the scruff of the neck:  if you hold a person or animal by the scruff of their neck, you hold the skin, fur, or clothes at the back of their neck//\n  2 [C]  BrE  informal someone who looks untidy or dirty:


Words: scruffy
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: scruff  ’messy person’ (19-21 centuries), from  scurf;   SCURVY]//  dirty and untidy//  --a scruffy old pair of jeans//  --scruffy shops//  -- scruffily adv //  --a scruffily dressed man//  -- scruffiness n  [U] //


Words: scrum
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: scrummage  ’scrum’ (19-21 centuries), from  scrimmage]//\n  1 [C] a part of a game of rugby when the players all push together in a circle, with their heads down, and try to get the ball:\n  2 [singular]  BrE  informal a crowd of people who are all close together and pushing each other to try to get something:  --He struggled through the scrum of people to the kitchen.//


Words: scrump
Meaning:
v [T]  BrE  old-fashioned   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  From dialect  scrump  ’dried-up apple’]//  to steal fruit from trees in people’s gardens//


Words: scrumptious
Meaning:
adj  informal   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  Probably from  sumptuous]//  food that is scrumptious tastes very good//  --a scrumptious chocolate cake//  --That was absolutely scrumptious !//


Words: scrunch
Meaning:
v [I]  informal   [Date: 1700-1800; Origin: crunch]//  if stones, leaves etc scrunch as you walk on them, they make a noisy sound//  --The dry leaves scrunched under our feet.//  -- scrunch n  [singular] //  --the scrunch of gravel//  scrunch up [scrunch sth → up] phr v//\n  1 to crush and twist something into a small round shape:  --I scrunched up the letter and threw it in the bin.//\n  2  scrunch up your face/eyes:  to move the muscles in your face in a way that makes your eyes seem narrow//  --He scrunched up his eyes and grinned.//


Words: scrunchy
Meaning:
scrunchie/skr[hA356]nt[hA35D]i/ n   plural  scrunchies  [C] //  a small circular piece of rubber covered loosely with cloth, which is used for holding hair together in a ponytail//


Words: scruple
Meaning:
n [C usually plural, U]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: scrupule, from  Latin scrupulus  ’small sharp stone, cause of mental discomfort’, from  scrupus  ’sharp stone’]//  a belief about what is right and wrong that prevents you from doing bad things//  scruples about doing sth//  --He had no scruples about selling faulty goods to people.//  --a man with no moral scruples //  without scruple//  --They made thousands of families homeless without scruple.//\nscruple 2 v   not scruple to do sth//   literary to be willing to do something even though it may be wrong or may upset people//  --They did not scruple to bomb innocent civilians.//


Words: scrupulous
Meaning:
adj \n  1 very careful to be completely honest and fair:  → unscrupulous//  --Not all lawyers are as scrupulous as she is.//  --scrupulous honesty//  scrupulous in (doing) sth//  --The organization will be scrupulous in maintaining the highest moral standards.//\n  2 doing something very carefully so that nothing is left out:  scrupulous about (doing) sth//  --He was not very scrupulous about keeping himself clean.//  --scrupulous attention to detail//  -- scrupulously adv //  --scrupulously clean//  --scrupulously fair//


Words: scrutinize
Meaning:
also  scrutinise BrE   v [T]   to examine someone or something very carefully//  --He scrutinized the document closely.//  --She scrutinized his face.//


Words: scrutiny
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: scrutinium, from  scrutari  ’to search, examine’, from  scruta  ’unwanted things, trash’]//  careful and thorough examination of someone or something//  careful/close scrutiny //  --Careful scrutiny of the company’s accounts revealed a whole series of errors.//  --Their activities have come under police scrutiny. //


Words: SCSI
Meaning:
n [U]   small computer systems interface something that helps a small computer work with another piece of electronic equipment, such as a printer, especially when they are connected by wires//  --a SCSI port//


Words: scuba diving
Meaning:
n [U]   flipper, knife, tank, wetsuit//  [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus]//  the sport of swimming under water while breathing through a tube that is connected to a container of air on your back//  -- scuba diver n  [C] //


Words: scud
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scudded present participle  scudding  [I always + adverb/preposition]  literary //  [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  if clouds scud across the sky, they move quickly//


Words: scuff
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//\n  1 to make a mark on a smooth surface by rubbing it against something rough:  --His shoes were old and badly scuffed.//\n  2  scuff your feet/heels:  to walk in a slow lazy way, not lifting your feet up very high//


Words: scuffle
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin:  Probably from a  Scandinavian language]//  a short fight that is not very violent//  -- Scuffles broke out between rival supporters during the match.//  scuffle with/between//  --scuffles with police//\nscuffle 2 v [I] \n  1 to have a short fight with someone, in a way that is not very serious or violent:  scuffle with//  --Some of the demonstrators scuffled with the police.//\n  2 [always + adverb/preposition] to walk quickly and make a noise as your feet rub on the ground:


Words: scull
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a small light boat for only one person, used in races:\n  2 one of a pair of oars that you use to move along in a small light boat:\nscull 2 v [I and T]   to make a small boat move along using a pair of oars//   row//


Words: scullery
Meaning:
n   plural  sculleries  [C] //  [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: escuelerie  ’(room for) cleaning and storing of dishes’, from  escuelle  ’bowl’, from  Latin scutella;   SCUTTLE2]//  a room next to the kitchen in a large house, where cleaning jobs were done in past times//


Words: sculpt
Meaning:
v [T]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: sculpter, from  Latin sculpere;   SCULPTURE]//  to make a particular shape from wood, stone, clay etc//


Words: sculpted
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   having a clear, smooth shape that looks as though an artist had made it//  --high, sculpted cheekbones//


Words: sculpture
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: sculptura, from  sculpere  ’to carve’]//\n  1 [U and C] an object made out of stone, wood, clay etc by an artist:  sculpture of//  --a sculpture of an elephant//  --an exhibition of sculpture//\n  2 [U] the art of making objects out of stone, wood, clay etc:


Words: sculptured
Meaning:
adj [only before noun] \n  1 cut or formed from wood, stone, clay etc:  --a row of sculptured animals//\n  2 having a smooth, attractive shape:  --her sculptured face//


Words: scum
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Middle Dutch; Origin: schum]//\n  1 [U] an unpleasant dirty substance that forms on the surface of water:  --a pond covered with green scum//\n  2 [plural]  informal nasty, unpleasant people:  --Scum like that should be locked away!//  --People like that are the scum of the earth .//  -- scummy adj //


Words: scupper
Meaning:
v [T]  BrE \n  1 to ruin someone’s plans or chance of being successful - used especially in news reports:  American Equivalent:  scuttle//  --Plans to build a private hospital have been scuppered after a government inquiry.//\n  2 to deliberately sink your own ship:\nscupper 2 n [C]  technical   [Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  Perhaps from  scoop]//  a hole in the side of a ship that allows water to flow back into the sea//


Words: scurrilous
Meaning:
adj  formal   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: scurrilis, from  scurra  ’stupid person’]//  scurrilous remarks, articles etc contain damaging and untrue statements about someone//  --a scurrilous attack on his integrity//  -- scurrilously adv //


Words: scurry
Meaning:
v   past tense and past participle  scurried present participle  scurrying third person singular  scurries  [I always + adverb/preposition] //  [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: hurry-scurry  (18-20 centuries), from  hurry]//  to move quickly with short steps, especially because you are in a hurry//  --People were scurrying off to work.//  -- scurry n  [singular] //


Words: scurvy
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: scurvy  ’affected with dandruff’, from  scurf  ’dandruff’, from  Old English]//  a disease caused by not eating foods such as fruit and vegetables that contain vitamin C//


Words: scuttle
Meaning:
v   [Sense: 1; Date: 1400-1500; Origin:  Probably from  scud +  shuttle]//  [Sense: 2,3; Date: 1600-1700; Origin: scuttle  ’opening in the side of a ship’ (15-21 centuries), probably from  Old Spanish escotilla]//\n  1 [I always + adverb/preposition] to move quickly with short steps, especially because you are afraid and do not want to be noticed:  --A little lizard scuttled across the path.//\n  2 [T]  AmE to ruin or end someone’s plans or chance of being successful - used especially in news reports:  British Equivalent:  scupper//  --The incident threatens to scuttle the peace process.//\n  3 [T] to sink a ship by making holes in the bottom, especially in order to prevent it being used by an enemy:\nscuttle 2 n [C]   [Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: scutella  ’drinking bowl’, from  scutra  ’large plate’]//  a container for carrying coal//


Words: scuttlebutt
Meaning:
n [U]  AmE  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin: scuttlebutt  ’container for a ship’s drinking water’ (19-20 centuries), from  scuttled  ’having a hole cut in it’ (18-19 centuries) (from   SCUTTLE1) +  butt  ’large container for liquid, barrel’ (15-21 centuries) (from  Old French botte, from  Late Latin buttis); because sailors gathered around the container to talk]//  stories about other people’s personal lives, especially stories that are unkind or untrue//   gossip//


Words: scuzzy
Meaning:
adj  informal   [Date: 1900-2000; Origin:  Perhaps from  disgusting]//  unpleasant and dirty//   disgusting//\nscuzzy 2 n [U]  informal    SCSI//  --What’s the biggest scuzzy hard drive you have?//


Words: Scylla and Charybdis
Meaning:
between Scylla and Charybdis//  in a situation where you have to choose between two possible actions, but both are dangerous or unpleasant. The phrase comes from the ancient Greek stories of Scylla, a  monster, and Charybdis, a  whirlpool (=water that spins around and pulls things down into it) , that killed sailors in the sea between Italy and Sicily. People sometimes also use the phrase "between a rock and a hard place" to mean the same thing.//


Words: scythe
Meaning:
n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin: sithe]//  a farming tool that has a long curved blade attached to a long wooden handle, and is used to cut grain or long grass//\nscythe 2 v \n  1 [I and T] to move through or destroy something quickly and violently:  --Bullets scythed through the crowd.//\n  2 [T] to cut with a scythe:


Words: SDI
Meaning:
Strategic Defense Initiative a military plan started in the US in 1983 for making special weapons that could destroy an enemy country’s missiles before they could reach the US. It was often called "Star Wars" because the plan was for a system of  satellites containing  laser weapons that would destroy missiles from space. Many scientists believed that the plan was impossible to achieve.//


Words: SDLP
Meaning:
the   the Social Democrat and Labour Party a political party in Northern Ireland, mostly supported by Catholics, which has fairly  left wing ideas. Although the SDLP wants Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland, it is completely opposed to the use of violence to achieve this aim. The SDLP had an important part in the peace talks in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. //


Words: sea
Meaning:
n   [Language: Old English; Origin: s[zB024]]//\n  1 [singular, U] the large area of salty water that covers much of the earth’s surface:   ocean//  --Jay stripped his clothes off and ran into the sea.//  --All the rooms have sea views.//  --The sea was perfectly calm .//  --the rough seas and wild winds that buffeted the coast//  --They headed west toward the open sea .//  --Most exports went  by sea .//  --a little cottage  by the sea //  --He spent over 30 years  at sea .//  --They stood side by side looking  out to sea .//  --a sailor who was lost at sea //  --He went to sea when he was eighteen.//  --The refugees put to sea in five rickety rafts.//  --Divers have disturbed the sea bed in some areas.//  --She’s out enjoying the sea air .//\n  2 [C] a large area of salty water that is mostly enclosed by land:  --the Mediterranean Sea//\n  3  sea of sth:  a very large number of people or things that all look similar//  --He looked out at the sea of faces.//\n  4  (all) at sea:  confused or not sure what to do//  --Living in a foreign country can mean you’re always at sea about what’s going on.//\n  5  the seas:   literary the sea - used especially when you are not talking about a particular ocean//  across the seas//   (=far away) //  --They came from lands across the seas.//\n  6 [C] one of the broad areas that seem flat on the moon and Mars:  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  calm sea (=without large waves) //  rough sea(s)/heavy seas (=with large waves) //  the open sea (=part of the sea far away from land) //  by sea (=on a ship) //  by the sea (=on the coast) //  at sea (=working on ships) //  out to sea (=away from the land) //  be lost at sea (=be drowned) //  go to sea (=go to work on a ship) //  put to sea (=make a boat go out to sea) //  seawater //  seabed/floor (=the land at the bottom of the sea) //  sea air (=the air at the coast) //  ----------//


Words: sea air
Meaning:
n [U]   the air near the sea, which is considered to be clean, fresh, and good for your health//  --A week spent breathing in the clean sea air would do her good.//


Words: sea legs
Meaning:
n [plural]   the ability to walk normally, not feel ill etc when you are travelling on a ship//  find/get your sea legs //  --I felt awful yesterday. But, thankfully, I’ve found my sea legs now.//


Words: sea level
Meaning:
n [U]   the average height of the sea, used as a standard for measuring other heights and depths, such as the height of a mountain//  above/below sea level//  --1000m above sea level//  --changes in sea level//


Words: sea mile
Meaning:
n [C]   a unit for measuring distance at sea that is slightly longer than a land mile, and equals 1853 metres//   nautical mile//


Words: Sea of Marmara
Meaning:
the Sea of Marmara//  an  inland (=surrounded by land)  sea in northwest Turkey, between the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles//


Words: Seabee
Meaning:
a member of a part of the US Navy that builds landing areas for aircraft and other structures that are needed in places where there is fighting. The official name of this unit is the ’Construction Battalion’, and the word Seabee comes from the first letters of this name.//


Words: seaboard
Meaning:
n [C]   the part of a country that is near the sea//  eastern/western/Pacific etc seaboard //  --the eastern seaboard of the US//


Words: seafaring
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   working or travelling on ships and the sea//  --a seafaring man//  -- seafaring n  [U] //


Words: seafood
Meaning:
n [U]   animals from the sea that you can eat, for example fish and shellfish//  --a seafood restaurant//


Words: seafront
Meaning:
n [C usually singular]  especially BrE   the part of a town where the shops, houses etc are next to the beach//  on the seafront//  --a hotel right on the seafront//  --a seafront cafe//


Words: seal
Meaning:
S3   n [C]   [Sense: 1; Origin: Old English seolh]//  [Sense: 2-6; Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: seel, from  Latin sigillum, from  signum;   SIGN1]//\n  1 a large sea animal that eats fish and lives around coasts:\n  2 :  a) a mark that has a special design and shows the legal or official authority of a person or organization//  --The document carried the seal of the governor’s office.//  b) the object that is used to make this mark//\n  3 a piece of rubber or plastic that keeps air, water, dirt etc out of something:  airtight/watertight seal //  --an airtight seal around the windows//\n  4 a piece of wax, paper, wire etc that you have to break in order to open a container, document etc:\n  5  seal of approval:  if you give something your seal of approval, you say that you approve of it, especially officially//  --A number of employers have already given their seal of approval to the scheme.//\n  6  set the seal on sth:   BrE to make something definite or complete//  --In 1972, Nixon himself went to China to set the seal on the new relationship.//\nseal 2 v [T] \n  1  also seal up :  to close an entrance or a container with something that stops air, water etc from coming in or out of it//  --The window was sealed shut.//  seal a joint/crack/opening/gap //  --A quick way to seal awkward gaps is to use a foam filler.//  --Dried milk is kept in hermetically sealed  (=very tightly closed) containers.//\n  2 if a building, area, or country is sealed, no one can enter or leave it:  --Authorities plan to seal the border.//\n  3 to close an envelope, package etc by using something sticky to hold its edges in place:  --He wrote the address and sealed the envelope.//\n  4 to cover the surface of something with something that will protect it:  --Wooden decks should be sealed to prevent cracking.//\n  5  seal sb’s fate:  to make something, especially something bad, sure to happen//  --The outbreak of war sealed the government’s fate.//\n  6  seal a deal/bargain/pact etc:  to make an agreement more formal or definite//\n  7  seal a victory/win/match:  to make a victory certain//  --Smith’s goal sealed the victory.//    sb’s lips are sealed at lip(5),  all signed and sealed at sign2 (6)//  seal in [seal sth → in] phr v//  to stop something that is inside something else from getting out//  --Fry the meat quickly to seal in the juices.//  seal off [seal sth → off] phr v//  to stop people from entering an area or building, because it is dangerous//  --Following a bomb warning, police have sealed off the whole area.//


Words: sealant
Meaning:
n [U and C]   a substance that is put on the surface of something to protect it from air, water etc//


Words: sealed
Meaning:
adj \n  1 shut or protected with something that prevents air, water etc from getting in or out:  --a sealed container//\n  2 sealed documents are closed so that they can only be read by a certain person or at a certain time:  --Sealed bids (=offers to pay a particular price for something) should be sent to Richard Walker.//


Words: sealer
Meaning:
n \n  1 [U and C] a substance that is put on the surface of something to protect it from air, water etc:\n  2 [C] a person or ship that hunts seals:


Words: sealing wax
Meaning:
n [U]   a red substance that melts and becomes hard again quickly, used for closing letters, documents etc, especially in the past//


Words: seam
Meaning:
n [C]   [Language: Old English; Origin:]//\n  1 a line where two pieces of cloth, leather etc have been stitched together:  --She was repairing Billy’s trousers, where the seam had come undone.//  --Join the shoulder seams together.//\n  2 a layer of a mineral under the ground:  seam of coal/iron etc //\n  3  be coming/falling apart at the seams:  a) if a plan, organization etc is coming apart at the seams, so many things are going wrong with it that it will probably fail//  --The health service seems to be falling apart at the seams.//  b) if a piece of clothing is coming apart at the seams, the stitches on it are coming unfastened//\n  4  be bursting/bulging at the seams:  if a room or building is bursting at the seams, it is so full of people that hardly anyone else can fit into it//\n  5  a (rich) seam of sth:  a thing, place, or group from which a type of thing can be obtained//  --The 466-page book is a rich seam of statistical information.//\n  6 a line where two pieces of metal, wood etc have been joined together:


Words: seaman
Meaning:
n   plural  seamen /-m[hA353]n/ [C] //\n  1 a sailor on a ship or in the navy who is not an officer:\n  2 someone who has a lot of experience of ships and the sea:


Words: seamed
Meaning:
adj \n  1 having a seam:  --seamed stockings//\n  2  written a seamed surface has many deep lines on it:  --A gentle smile spread over her seamed face.//


Words: seamless
Meaning:
adj \n  1 done or made so smoothly that you cannot tell where one thing stops and another begins:  --the seamless integration of data, text, images and sound//\n  2 without any seams:  --seamless stockings//  -- seamlessly adv //  --The ideal is to have everything working seamlessly together.//


Words: seamstress
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: seamster  ’person who sews’, from  Old English seamestre, from  seam]//\n  1  old-fashioned a woman whose job is sewing and making clothes:\n  2 a woman who is good at sewing:


Words: seamy
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin: seamy  ’having the rough side of the seam showing’ (17-19 centuries), from  seam]//  involving unpleasant things such as crime, violence, or immorality//  -- the seamy side of the World Wide Web//


Words: SEAQ
Meaning:
the computer system used in the London  stock exchange, which gives information about the price of  shares//


Words: sear
Meaning:
v   [Language: Old English; Origin: searian, from  sear;   SERE]//\n  1 [I always + adverb/preposition, T] to burn something with a sudden powerful heat:  --The heat seared their skin.//\n  2 [I always + adverb/preposition, T] to have a very strong sudden and unpleasant effect on you:  --Pain was searing through her.//  --The image was seared into his brain.//\n  3 [T] to cook the outside of a piece of meat quickly at a high temperature, in order to keep its juices in:  --seared tuna steaks//


Words: search
Meaning:
W2S3   n \n  1 [C usually singular] an attempt to find someone or something:  search for//  --Bad weather is hampering the search for survivors.//  search of//  --a search of the area//  --The police have already carried out a search .//  --Perhaps they will wait until morning before launching a search .//  --Rescuers were forced to abandon their search .//  --a thorough search of the undergrowth//  --I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search for a replacement.//  -- The search is now on for a new management team.//\n  2 [C] a series of actions done by a computer to find information:  search of//  --a computerized search of 10,000 medical journals//  --A search found 46 websites.//  --an online search//  perform/run/do a search //  --Do a search on ’rabbit’ and see what it brings up.//\n  3  in search of sth:  looking for something//  --Mark went in search of water.//\n  4 [singular] an attempt to find an explanation or solution:  search for//  --the search for a cure//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  carry out/conduct a search //  begin/launch a search //  call off/abandon a search //  thorough/painstaking/systematic search (=a very detailed one) //  fruitless search (=an unsuccessful one) //  nationwide search //  house-to-house search (=a search of every house or building in an area) //  fingertip search British English (=a search for clues by police officers at the scene of a crime) //  strip search (=a search of someone by taking off their clothes) //  the search is on (=used to say that something is now being looked for) //  ----------//\nsearch 2 W3 v   ----------//\n   1 looking:\n   2 computer:\n   3 person:\n   4 solution:\n   5 search me!:\n   6 examine:  Phrasal verbs//   search something → out//  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: cerchier  ’to go around, examine, search’, from  Late Latin circare  ’to go around’, from  Latin circum  ’around’]//\n  1 LOOKING:   [I and T] to try to find someone or something by looking very carefully//  --It was too dark to search further.//  --The area was thoroughly searched .//  search for//  --An RAF plane searched for the missing men.//  --I’ve searched high and low  (=everywhere) for my glasses.//  search sth for sth//  --Detectives are searching the yard for clues.//  search in/under/through etc//  --Alice bent to search through a heap of clothes.//\n  2 COMPUTER:   [T] to use a computer to find information//  search sth for sth//  --Search the Web for cheap flights.//\n  3 PERSON:   [T] if someone in authority searches you or the things you are carrying, they look for things you might be hiding//  search sb for sth//  --He was searched by the guards for weapons.//\n  4 SOLUTION:   [I] to try to find an explanation or solution//  search for//  --Scientists are still searching for a cure.//  --She paused, searching for inspiration.//\n  5  search me!:   spoken used to tell someone that you do not know the answer to a question//  --’Where is she?’ ’Search me!’//\n  6 EXAMINE:   [T] to examine something carefully in order to find something out, decide something etc//  --Anya searched his face anxiously.//  -- searcher n  [C] //  search out [search sth → out] phr v//  to find something by searching//  --We were too tired to search out extra blankets.//


Words: search party
Meaning:
n [C]   a group of people who are organized to look for someone who is missing or lost//  --Let’s get going or they’ll send out a search party .//


Words: searching
Meaning:
adj [only before noun] \n  1 intended to find out all the facts about something:  searching questions/investigation/examination etc //  --Interviewees need to be ready for some searching questions.//\n  2  searching look/glance/gaze:  a look from someone who is trying to find out as much as possible about someone else’s thoughts and feelings//  --She avoided his long searching look.//  -- searchingly adv //


Words: searchlight
Meaning:
n [C]   a very bright electric light that turns in any direction, used for finding people, guarding places etc//


Words: searing
Meaning:
adj \n  1 extremely hot:  --the searing heat of the desert//\n  2 searing pain is severe and feels like a burn:\n  3 searing words or attitudes criticize someone or something very strongly:  --Adorno’s searing analysis of mass culture//  --Emily felt a searing anger against her father.//


Words: seashore
Meaning:
n   the seashore//  the land at the edge of the sea, consisting of sand and rocks//    beach, seaside//


Words: seasick
Meaning:
adj   feeling ill when you travel in a boat, because of the movement of the boat in the water//  get/feel/be seasick //  --Hal was seasick almost at once.//  -- seasickness n  [U] //


Words: seaside
Meaning:
n   the seaside//   BrE the areas or towns near the sea, where people go to enjoy themselves//  --a trip to the seaside//  at the seaside//  --a day at the seaside//\nseaside 2 adj [only before noun]   relating to places that are near the sea//  seaside town/resort //  --the popular seaside resort of Brighton//  --a seaside holiday//


Words: season
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 time of year:\n   2 usual time for something:\n   3 holiday:\n   4 fashion:\n   5 be in/out of season:\n   6 films, plays etc:\n   7 animals:\n   8 season’s greetings:\n   9 the season of goodwill:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: saison, from  Latin satio  ’act of planting seeds’, from  serere  ’to sow’]//\n  1 TIME OF YEAR:   [C] one of the main periods into which a year is divided, which each have a particular type of weather. In the west, the seasons are spring, summer, autumn, and winter//  --the effect on plants as the seasons change//\n  2 USUAL TIME FOR SOMETHING:   [C usually singular] a period of time in a year during which a particular activity takes place, or during which something usually happens//  --the first game of the season//  the football/cricket etc season //  --the end of the football season//  the racing/fishing/hunting etc season //  --The racing season starts in June.//  --Some footpaths are closed during the shooting season.//  out of season//   (=when an activity is not allowed) //  --He was caught fishing out of season.//  season for//  --The season for strawberries (=when they are available to buy)  usually starts in early June.//  the rainy/wet/dry season (=the time when it rains a lot or does not rain at all) //  --African rivers turn to hard mud during the dry season.//  the growing/planting etc season //  --The planting season is in spring, with harvest in the fall.//\n  3 HOLIDAY:   [singular, U] the time of the year when most people take their holidays//  high/peak season (=the busiest part of this time) //  --There are two boat trips a day, more in high season.//  low/off season (=the least busy part of this time) //  --An off-season break costs [hA124]114.//  out of season//  --It’s quieter out of season.//  holiday season  BrE //  /tourist season //  --We arrived at the height of the tourist season  (=the busiest time) .//  the holiday season  AmE  (=Thanksgiving to New Year, including Christmas, Hanukkah etc) //  the festive season  BrE  (=Christmas and New Year) //\n  4 FASHION:   [singular] the time in each year when new styles of clothes, hair etc are produced and become fashionable//  --This season’s look is fresh and natural.//\n  5  be in/out of season:  vegetables and fruit that are in season are cheap and easily available because it is the time of year when they are ready to eat. If they are out of season, they are expensive or not available//  --Vine tomatoes are in season from April to October.//\n  6 FILMS, PLAYS ETC:   [C usually singular] a series of films, plays, television programmes etc that are shown during a particular period of time//  season of//  --a new season of comedy on BBC 1//  summer/fall etc season //  --The network has several new dramas lined up for the fall season.//  --Glyndebourne’s season opens with a performance of Tosca.//\n  7 ANIMALS:   [singular] the time of the year when animals are ready to have sex//  the mating/breeding season //  --Their dog was  coming into season .//\n  8  season’s greetings:   written used on cards to tell someone you hope they have a happy Christmas, Hanukkah etc//\n  9  the season of goodwill:   old-fashioned the time around Christmas//    close season,  open season,  silly season//\nseason 2 v [T]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: assaisoner  ’to ripen, season’, from  saison;   SEASON1]//\n  1 to add salt, pepper etc to food you are cooking:  season sth with sth//  --Season the chicken with pepper.//  --Mix the ingredients and season to taste  (=add the amount of salt etc that you think tastes right) .//\n  2 to prepare wood for use by gradually drying it:


Words: season ticket
Meaning:
n [C]   a ticket that allows you to make a lot of journeys during a particular period of time, or go to all the games, concerts etc being held during a particular time. Season tickets cost less than it would cost to buy a ticket for each journey, game etc//  --an annual season ticket//  season ticket holder (=someone who owns a season ticket) //


Words: seasonable
Meaning:
adj  formal   suitable or usual for a particular time of year//  → unseasonable//  --seasonable temperatures//


Words: seasonal
Meaning:
adj [usually before noun]   happening, expected, or needed during a particular season//  --heavy seasonal rains//  seasonal workers/employment etc //  --seasonal jobs in the tourist industry//


Words: seasonal affective disorder
Meaning:
n [U]   an illness that makes people feel sad and tired in winter, because there is not enough light from the sun//   SAD//


Words: seasonality
Meaning:
n [U]   the fact that something changes according to the time of the year//  seasonality of//  --the seasonality of sales of the product//


Words: seasonally
Meaning:
adv   according to what is usual for a particular season//  --bird migrations that occur seasonally//  seasonally adjusted figures/rates/data etc (=ones that are changed according to what usually happens at a particular time of year) //


Words: seasoned
Meaning:
adj \n  1 [only before noun] used to describe someone who has a lot of experience of a particular thing:  seasoned traveller/observer etc //  --Artie was by then a seasoned musician with six albums to his credit.//\n  2 seasoned food has salt, pepper etc added to it:  --a highly seasoned piece of fish//\n  3 seasoned wood has been prepared for use by drying:


Words: seat
Meaning:
W1S2   n   ----------//\n   1 place to sit:\n   2 official position:\n   3 part of a chair:\n   4 baby/child/car seat:\n   5 seat of government/power:\n   6 seat of learning:\n   7 clothes:\n   8 take a back seat (to somebody/something):\n   9 on the edge of your seat:\n  10 do something by the seat of your pants:\n  11 in the driving seat:\n  12 in the hot seat:\n  13 house:  ----------//  [Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old Norse; Origin: s[zB024]ti]//\n  1 PLACE TO SIT:   [C] a place where you can sit, especially one in a vehicle or one from which you watch a performance, sports event etc//  --I was in the back seat and Jo was driving.//  --People were shifting in their seats, looking uncomfortable.//  --He requested a window seat for the flight.//  --There were no empty seats .//  --It was a great concert, and I had a front-row seat .//  --We’re a long way from the stage, but they were the best seats I could get.//  --Please take a seat .//  --You can book seats online.//  --He is an actor who will put bums on seats .//  --a 10,000-seat stadium//\n  2 OFFICIAL POSITION:   [C] a position as an elected member of a government, or as a member of a group that makes official decisions//  seat in/on//  --a seat in the National Assembly//  --Promotion would mean a seat on the board of directors.//  Parliamentary/Senate etc seat //  --the Senate seat for Colorado//  win/lose etc a seat (=in an election) //  --He predicts that his party will gain at least 12 seats .//  --Mr Adams is expected to keep his seat .//  --Labour held the seat with a 7% majority.//  safe seat  BrE  (=one that a party will not lose) //  marginal seat  BrE  (=one that another party might easily win) //\n  3 PART OF A CHAIR:   [C usually singular] the flat part of a chair etc that you sit on//  --Don’t put your feet on the seat!//  --a wooden toilet seat//  --a broken bicycle seat//\n  4  baby/child/car seat:  a special seat that you put in a car for a baby or small child//\n  5  seat of government/power:   formal a city where a country’s government is based//\n  6  seat of learning:   formal a university, college etc//\n  7 CLOTHES:   [singular] the part of your trousers that you sit on//  seat of//  --a rip in the seat of his jeans//\n  8  take a back seat (to sb/sth):  to have less influence or importance//  --Foreign policy will take a back seat to domestic problems for a while.//\n  9  on the edge of your seat:  waiting excitedly to see what happens next//  --a gripping movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat //\n  10  do sth by the seat of your pants:  to do something by using only your own skill and experience, without any help from anyone or anything else, especially when this is risky or dangerous//\n  11  in the driving seat:   BrE  in the driver’s seat AmE controlling what happens in a situation, organization, or relationship//  --We’re trying to put young people in the driving seat .//\n  12  in the hot seat:   also  on the hot seat AmE  informal in a difficult position where you have to make important decisions, answer questions etc//\n  13 HOUSE:   [C] a home of a rich important family in the countryside//  family/country seat //    back-seat driver at back seat(2),  window seat//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  back/rear/front seat (=the back or front seat in a car) //  driver’s seat //  passenger seat (=the seat next to the driver’s seat in a car) //  window/aisle seat (=a seat next to the window oraisle , for example on a plane) //  empty/vacant seat //  front-row seat (=in a theatre, sports ground etc) //  good seat (=one from which you can see well) //  ringside seat (=a seat in the front row for a sports event, especially aboxing match) //  have/take a seat //  show somebody to their seat //  book/reserve a seat //  bums on seats British English informal (=used for talking about the number of people who go to an event, especially if this is a lot of people) //  ----------//\nseat 2 v [T] \n  1 [not in progressive] if a place seats a number of people, it has enough seats for that number:  --The arena seats 60,000.//\n  2  formal  seat yourself (in/on/beside etc sth):  to sit down somewhere//  --She seated herself at her desk. see usage note  sit//\n  3 to arrange for someone to sit somewhere:  seat sb beside/near etc sb/sth//  --the old custom of seating boys and girls on opposite sides of the classroom//    seated//


Words: seat belt
Meaning:
also safety belt  AmE n [C]   a belt attached to the seat of a car or plane which you fasten around yourself for protection in an accident//


Words: seated
Meaning:
adj [not before noun]  formal \n  1 if someone is seated, they are sitting down:  seated at/near/beside etc//  --Paul was seated at his desk.//  -- Remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete stop.//\n  2  be seated:   spoken used to ask people politely to sit down//  --Please be seated.//    seat2 //


Words: seating
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 all the seats in a theatre, cinema etc:  seating for//  --a restaurant with seating for 40 customers//  --The hall has a seating capacity of 650.//\n  2 the places where people will sit, according to an arrangement:  seating plan/arrangements //  --the seating plan for the wedding dinner//


Words: SEATO
Meaning:
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization an organization formed by Australia, the UK, France, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and the US for giving military help to each other in southeast Asia and the southwest Pacific area//


Words: Seattle
Meaning:
a city and port in Washington State, in the northwest of the US. It is an important business and cultural centre.//


Words: seaward
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   facing towards the sea//  --Keep to the seaward side of the path.//  -- seaward also  seawards//   adv //


Words: sebaceous
Meaning:
adj  technical   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Latin; Origin: sebaceus, from  sebum;   SEBUM]//  relating to a part of the body that produces oil//  --sebaceous glands//


Words: sec
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1800-1900; Origin:  SECOND2]//\n  1  a sec:   spoken  informal a very short period of time//  hang on a sec/hold on a sec/just a sec etc (=wait a short time) //  --’Is Al there?’ ’Hold on a sec, I’ll check.’//  in a sec//  --I’ll be with you in a sec.//\n  2 the written abbreviation of second :  --Journey time: 25 mins 14 secs.//


Words: secateurs
Meaning:
n [plural]  BrE   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French]//  strong scissors used for cutting plant stems//  --a pair of secateurs //


Words: secede
Meaning:
v [I]  formal   [Date: 1700-1800; Language: Latin; Origin: secedere  ’to go apart’, from  cedere  ’to go’]//  if a country or state secedes from another country, it officially stops being part of it and becomes independent//  secede from//  --By 1861, 11 states had seceded from the Union.//


Words: secession
Meaning:
n [U and C]   when a country or state officially stops being part of another country and becomes independent//  --a vote in favor of secession//  secession from//  --Croatia’s secession from Yugoslavia//


Words: secluded
Meaning:
adj   very private and quiet//  secluded garden/spot/beach etc //  --We sunbathed on a small secluded beach.//  --He’s 80 years old now and lives a very secluded life.//


Words: seclusion
Meaning:
n   [U] the state of being private and away from other people//  --They stayed at a friend’s beach house and enjoyed ten days of peace and seclusion.//  in seclusion//  --He found it difficult to walk very far, and had to stay at home in seclusion.//  seclusion of//  --the relative seclusion of the Norfolk countryside//


Words: second
Meaning:
number \n  1 the second person, thing, event etc is the one that comes after the first:  --the Second World War//  --the second of August//  --a second year student//  --his second wife//  --Clinton’s second term in office//  --the second half of the year//  --the second time in three days//\n  2 the position in a competition or scale that comes after the one that is the best, most successful etc:  --She won second prize.//  --They climbed to second place in the League.//  second largest/most successful etc //  --Africa’s second highest mountain//  be second only to sth (=used to emphasize that something is nearly the largest, most important etc) //  --The euro will have a circulation second only to that of the dollar.//\n  3 another example of the same thing, or another in addition to the one you have:  --We advertised for a second guitarist.//  --There was a second reason for his dismissal.//  --I asked the doctor for a second opinion  (=when you ask another person to repeat an examination, test etc for you) .//\n  4  every second year/person/thing etc:  a) the second, then the fourth, then the sixth year etc//  --The nurse comes every second day.//  b) used to emphasize that in a group of similar things, there is too much of one particular thing//  --Every second house seemed to be boarded up.//\n  5  be second to none:  to be the best//  --The quality of Britain’s overseas aid programme is second to none.//\n  6  second chance:  help given to someone who has failed, in the hope that they will succeed this time//  --I just want to give these kids a second chance .//\n  7  have second thoughts:  to start having doubts about a decision you have made//  --You’re not having second thoughts, are you?//  have second thoughts about//  --She’d had second thoughts about the whole project.//\n  8  on second thoughts:   BrE on second thought  AmE  spoken used to say that you have changed your mind about something//  --I’ll call her tomorrow - no, on second thought, I’ll try now.//\n  9  not give sth a second thought/without a second thought:  used to say that someone does not think or worry about something//  --She dismissed the rumour without a second thought.//\n  10  not give sth a second glance/look:   also without a second glance/look //  to not look at something again, because you have not really noticed it or because it does not seem important//  --No-one gave the woman in the grey uniform a second glance.//\n  11  be/become second nature (to sb):  something that is second nature to you is something you have done so often that you do it almost without thinking//  --Driving becomes second nature after a while.//\n  12  second wind:  a new feeling of energy after you have been working or exercising very hard, and had thought you were too tired to continue//  --He got his second wind and ran on.//\nsecond 2 n   [Sense: 1-3, 5; Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: secunda, from  secunda pars minuta  ’second small part, one sixtieth of a minute’, from  Latin secundus;   SECOND2]//\n  1 [C] a unit for measuring time. There are 60 seconds in a minute:  --Hold your breath for six seconds.//  --The operation takes only 30 seconds.//  --Ultrasonic waves travel at around 300 metres per second .//  within seconds//   (=after only a few seconds) //  --Within seconds, Bev called back.//\n  2 [C] a very short period of time:  --I’ll be back in a second.//  -- Just a second  (=wait a moment) , I’ll come and help.//  --At least 30 shots were fired in a matter of seconds  (=in a very short time) .//    split second//\n  3  (at) any second (now):  used to say that something will or may happen extremely soon//  --He should be here any second.//\n  4  seconds [plural] :  a)  informal another serving of food, after you have eaten your first serving//  b) clothes or other goods that are cheaper than usual because they are not perfect//    second hand1 //\n  5 [C]  technical one of the sixty parts into which a minute of an angle is divided. It can be shown as a symbol after a number. For example, 78[hA13B] 52’ 11’ means 78 degrees 52 minutes 11 seconds.:\n  6 [>C] someone who helps someone in a fight, especially in  boxing or, in the past, a duel:\n  7 [U]  AmE  informal  second base:\nsecond 3   adv \n  1 [sentence adverb] used before you add information to what you have already said:   secondly//\n  2 next after the first one:  come/finish etc second //  --I came second in the UK Championships.//  --Tea is the most popular drink, while coffee ranks (=comes) second.//\nsecond 4 v [T]   to formally support a suggestion made by another person in a meeting//  second a motion/proposal/amendment etc //\nsecond 5   v [T usually passive]  BrE   to send someone to do someone else’s job for a short time//  be seconded to sth//  --Jill’s been seconded to the marketing department while Dave’s away.//    secondment//


Words: second base
Meaning:
n [U]   the second of the four places you have to run to in games such as baseball in order to get a point//


Words: second best
Meaning:
n [U]   something that you have to accept which is not perfect or not the best//  --I’m not going to settle for second best .//\nsecond best 2 adj [only before noun]   not quite as good as the best one//  --Allie was the second best shooter on the rifle team.//  come off second best (=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else) //


Words: second childhood
Meaning:
n [U]   someone who is in their second childhood is old, and their mental abilities are greatly reduced//


Words: second class
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 a way of travelling on a ship or train that is cheaper and less comfortable than first class:\n  2 a way of delivering letters etc in Britain that is cheaper and slower than first class:\n  3 the system in the US for delivering newspapers, magazines, advertisements etc through the post:


Words: second coming
Meaning:
n   the second coming//  the time in the future when Christians believe that Jesus Christ will come back to earth//


Words: second hand
Meaning:
n [C]   the long thin piece of metal that points to the seconds on a clock or watch//\nsecond hand 2 adv \n  1 if you get something second hand, it is not new and has been used by other people before:  get/buy sth second hand //  --We got most of our furniture second hand.//\n  2 if you hear something second hand, the person who tells you is not the person who originally said it:  --It may not be true - I only heard it second hand .//\n  3 if you experience something second hand, you experience it through other people, rather than directly:    (at) first hand at first1 (8)//


Words: second home
Meaning:
n \n  1 [C] a house or apartment that you own as well as your main home and which you use, for example, for holidays:  --town-dwellers who buy second homes in the countryside//\n  2 [singular] a place where you spend a large amount of time but which is not where you live:  --I love Italy. It’s my second home.//  --From then on the hospital became my second home.//


Words: second language
Meaning:
n [C usually singular]   a language that you speak in addition to the language you learned as a child//


Words: second lieutenant
Meaning:
n [C]   a middle rank in several of the US and British military forces, or someone who has this rank//


Words: second name
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1  BrE a family name:  --’What’s your second name?’ ’Jones.’//\n  2 a name that comes after your first name and before your family name:  --Stephen’s second name, Anthony, is after my brother.//


Words: second person
Meaning:
n [singular]  technical   a form of a verb or pronoun that is used to show the person you are speaking to. For example, ’you’ is a second person pronoun, and ’are’ is the second person singular and plural of the verb ’to be’//    first person,  third person//


Words: second sight
Meaning:
n [U]   the ability to know what will happen in the future, or to know about things that are happening somewhere else, that some people claim to have//


Words: second-class
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   ----------//\n   1 people:\n   2 lower standard:\n   3 travel:\n   4 mail:\n   5 university degree:  ----------//\n  1 PEOPLE:  considered to be less important and less valuable than other people//  --Why should old people be treated like second-class citizens ?//\n  2 LOWER STANDARD:  of a lower standard or quality than the best//  --We will not accept a second-class education for our children.//\n  3 TRAVEL:   second-class ticket/fare/compartment/cabin etc//  tickets etc that are for cheaper, less comfortable seats on a train or ship//\n  4 MAIL:   second-class mail/post/stamp etc//  relating to the system of delivering mail in Britain that is cheaper and slower//\n  5 UNIVERSITY DEGREE:  used to describe a university degree in Britain that is good, but not the highest level//  --a second-class honours degree//    first class(3)//  -- second class adv //  --He was travelling second class.//  --I’ll send the letter second class.//


Words: second-degree
Meaning:
adj \n  1  second-degree burns:  the second most serious form of burns//    first-degree, third-degree//\n  2  second-degree murder/assault/burglary etc:   AmE a crime that is less serious than the most serious type, especially because it was not planned//    first-degree//


Words: second-guess
Meaning:
v [T] \n  1 to try to say what will happen or what someone will do before they do it:  --I’m not going to try and second-guess the committee’s decisions.//\n  2  AmE to criticize something after it has already happened:  --The decision has been made - there’s no point in second-guessing it now.//


Words: second-hand
Meaning:
secondhand/sek[hA353]ndh[zB024]nd[hA36B]/ adj \n  1 second-hand things are not new when you get them, because they were owned by someone else before you:  --second-hand clothes//  --a second-hand car//  secondhand store/shop etc (=a shop that sells second-hand things) //\n  2 second-hand information or knowledge is told to you by someone who is not the person who originally said it - used to show disapproval:  → first-hand//  second-hand reports/accounts //  --second-hand accounts of mass killings//


Words: second-in-command
Meaning:
n [C]   the person who has the next highest rank to the leader of a group, especially in a military organization//


Words: second-rate
Meaning:
adj [usually before noun]   not of the very best standard or quality//    first-rate//  --a second-rate artist//


Words: second-string
Meaning:
adj [only before noun]   not regularly part of a team, group etc, but sometimes taking someone else’s place in it//  --the Vikings’ second-string quarterback//


Words: secondary
Meaning:
W2   adj \n  1  secondary education/schooling/teaching etc:  the education, teaching etc of children between the ages of 11 and 16 or 18//\n  2 not as important as something else:  --the novel’s secondary characters//  secondary to//  --Writing was always secondary to spending time with my family.//  be of secondary importance/be a secondary consideration //  --Cost is the important thing - any benefits for the user are a secondary consideration.//  -- secondarily adv //


Words: secondary modern
Meaning:
n [C]   a type of school that existed in Britain until the 1960s, where children who had not passed a special examination were sent//


Words: secondary source
Meaning:
n [C]   a book, article etc that analyses something such as a piece of literature or a historical event and that can be used to support your ideas in an essay//


Words: secondary stress
Meaning:
n [U and C]  technical   the second strongest stress that is put on a part of a long word when you speak it. It is shown in this dictionary by the mark (%stress;)//    primary stress//


Words: seconder
Meaning:
n [C]  formal   a person who supports a proposal etc in a formal meeting so that it can be discussed//


Words: secondly
Meaning:
W3   adv [sentence adverb]   used when you want to give a second point or fact, or give a second reason for something//    firstly//  --Firstly, they are not efficient, and secondly, they are expensive to make.//


Words: secondment
Meaning:
n [singular, U]  BrE   a period of time that you spend away from your usual job, either doing another job or studying//  on secondment (from sth)//  --a government advisor, on secondment from the Metropolitan Police//


Words: secrecy
Meaning:
n [U]   [Date: 1500-1600; Origin: secretie  ’secrecy’ (15-16 centuries), from  secre  ’secret’ (14-16 centuries), from  Old French secre, from  Latin secretus;   SECRET1]//\n  1 the process of keeping something secret, or when something is kept a secret:    secret//  --I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project.//  --His work was shrouded in secrecy .//  --the veil of secrecy that covered the talks//\n  2  swear sb to secrecy:  to make someone promise not to repeat what you have told them//


Words: secret
Meaning:
W3S3   adj   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin secretus, past participle of  secernere  ’to separate’]//\n  1 known about by only a few people and kept hidden from others:    secrecy//  --They kept their relationship secret from their parents.//  --agents on a secret mission//  --a secret plan to end the war//  --secret talks with the terrorists//  secret compartment/passage etc //  --The drugs were found in a secret compartment in Campbell’s suitcase.//  secret ingredient/recipe/formula //  --The cookies are made to a secret recipe.//\n  2 [only before noun] secret feelings, worries, or actions are ones that you do not want other people to know about:  --His secret fear was that Jenny would leave him.//  --Did you know you had a secret admirer  (=someone who is secretly in love with you) ?//\n  3  secret weapon:  something that will help you gain a big advantage over your competitors, that they do not know about//\n  4 used to describe the behaviour of someone who is keeping their thoughts, intentions, or actions hidden from other people:   secretive//  secret about//  --They’re being very secret about it.//  --There was a secret smile on her face.//  -- secretly adv //  --They were secretly married.//\nsecret 2 W3S3 n [C] \n  1 something that is kept hidden or that is known about by only a few people:    secrecy//  --I can’t tell you. It’s a secret. //  --She wanted to tell everybody her secret .//  --Can you keep a secret ?//  --Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. //  --Why is all this such a big secret ?//  --The location for the wedding is a closely-guarded secret .//  --He was accused of passing state secrets to a foreign power.//  --I kept this dark secret for 15 years.//  --She shared her innermost secrets with him.//  -- It was no secret that the two men hated each other.//  -- It’s an open secret that he wants Derek’s job.//\n  2  in secret:  in a private way or place that other people do not know about//  --The negotiations were conducted in secret.//\n  3  the secret:  a particular way of achieving a good result, that is the best or only way//  the secret to (doing) sth//  --The secret to making good pastry is to use very cold water.//  --Your hair always looks so great - what’s your secret? //  --What do you think is the secret of her success ?//\n  4  make no secret of sth:  to make your opinions about something clear//  --Louise made no secret of her dislike for John.//\n  5  the secrets of life/nature/the universe etc:  the things no one yet knows about nature etc//  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  it’s a secret //  tell somebody a secret/let somebody in on a secret also reveal a secret formal //  keep a secret (=not tell someone about something) //  your secret is safe with me (=I will not tell anyone about it) //  big secret (=an important secret, or something that is known by very few people) //  little secret (=a secret that is not very important) //  be a closely-guarded/well-kept secret (=a secret that very few people know about) //  state/official secret //  trade secret //  dark secret (=a secret about something bad) //  somebody’s innermost secrets (=someone’s most personal secrets) //  it’s no secret (that) (=everyone knows about this) //  it’s an open secret (that) (=most people know about this, although you might expect it to be a secret) //  ----------//


Words: secret agent
Meaning:
n [C]   someone whose job is to find out and report on the military and political secrets of other countries//   spy//


Words: secret ballot
Meaning:
n [U and C]   a way of voting in which people write their choices on a piece of paper in secret, or an act of voting in this way//  by secret ballot//  --The chairman was elected by secret ballot.//  in a secret ballot//  --votes cast in a secret ballot//


Words: secret police
Meaning:
n   the secret police//  a police force controlled by a government, that secretly tries to defeat the political enemies of that government//


Words: secret service
Meaning:
n   the secret service//  a) a British government organization that protects the country’s military and political secrets, and obtains secrets about other countries//  b) a US government department that deals with special kinds of police work, especially protecting the President//


Words: secretarial
Meaning:
adj [usually before noun]   relating to the work of a secretary//  --a secretarial course//  --secretarial college//


Words: secretariat
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: secretariat, from  Medieval Latin secretarius;   SECRETARY]//  a government office or the office of a large international organization, especially one that has a secretary general in charge of it//  --the United Nations Secretariat in New York//


Words: secretary
Meaning:
n   plural  secretaries  [C] //  ----------//\n   1 office:\n   2 government:\n   3 club:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: secretarius  ’someone who does private work for another, secretary’, from  Latin secretus;   SECRET1]//\n  1 OFFICE:  someone who works in an office typing letters, keeping records, answering telephone calls, arranging meetings etc//  --My secretary will fax you all the details.//  medical/legal secretary //\n  2 GOVERNMENT:  a)  also Secretary of State //  the head of an important department in the British Government//  --the Foreign Secretary//    Home Secretary//  b) an official in charge of a large government department in the US//  --the Secretary of Defense//  c) a British official, who works in a government department or embassy, and is below the rank of minister or ambassador//  --the First Secretary at the British Embassy//    Secretary of State,  undersecretary//\n  3 CLUB:  a member of a club or organization who takes notes in meetings, writes official letters etc//  --the secretary of the tennis club//


Words: secretary general
Meaning:
n [C]   the most important official in charge of a large organization, especially an international organization//  --the UN Secretary General//


Words: Secretary of State plural
Meaning:
Secretaries of State  n [C] \n  1  also Secretary :  the head of an important department in the British Government//  --the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry//\n  2 the head of the US government department that deals with the US’s relations with other countries:


Words: secrete
Meaning:
v [T]   [Sense: 1; Date: 1700-1800; Origin: secretion]//  [Sense: 2; Date: 1700-1800; Origin:  SECRET1]//\n  1 if a part of an animal or plant secretes a liquid substance, it produces it:  --The toad’s skin secretes a deadly poison.//\n  2  formal to hide something:  --The money had been secreted in a Swiss Bank account.//


Words: secretion
Meaning:
n   [Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: secretion, from  Latin secretio  ’separation’, from  secretus;   SECRET1]//  a)  [U and C] a substance, usually liquid, produced by part of a plant or animal//  --These secretions are used by the caterpillar as a defence.//  b)  [U] the production of this substance//  --the secretion of hormones by the pituitary gland//


Words: secretive
Meaning:
adj   a secretive person or organization likes to keep their thoughts, intentions, or actions hidden from others//  --The government has been accused of being secretive and undemocratic.//  secretive about//  --Carla was always very secretive about her work.//  -- secretively adv //  -- secretiveness n  [U] //


Words: sect
Meaning:
n [C]   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: secte  ’group, sect’, from  Latin secta  ’way of life, type of people’, from  sequi  ’to follow’]//  a group of people with their own particular set of beliefs and practices, especially within or separated from a larger religious group//


Words: sectarian
Meaning:
adj \n  1  sectarian violence/conflict/murder etc:  violence etc that is related to the strong feelings of people who belong to different religious groups//  --people on both sides of the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland//\n  2  AmE supporting a particular religious group and its beliefs:  --a sectarian school//  -- sectarianism n  [U] //


Words: section
Meaning:
n   ----------//\n   1 place/object:\n   2 part of a whole:\n   3 book/newspaper/report:\n   4 group of people:\n   5 brass/rhythm/woodwind/string etc section:\n   6 law:\n   7 side/top view:\n   8 medical/scientific:\n   9 area of land:\n  10 mathematics:  ----------//  [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: sectio, from  secare  ’to cut’]//\n  1 PLACE/OBJECT:   [C] one of the parts that something such as an object or place is divided into//  section of//  --a busy section of road//  --the reference section of the library//  --The plane’s tail section was found in a cornfield.//  --the smoking section (=where you can smoke) //\n  2 PART OF A WHOLE:   [C] one of the separate parts of a structure, piece of furniture etc that you fit together to form the whole//  in sections//  --The boats were built in Scotland, and transported to Egypt in sections.//\n  3 BOOK/NEWSPAPER/REPORT:   [C] a separate part of a book, newspaper, document, report etc//  --This issue will be discussed further in section 2.//  sports/style/business/travel etc section (=particular part of a newspaper) //\n  4 GROUP OF PEOPLE:   [C] a separate group within a larger group of people//  section of//  --a large section of the American public//  --The story was grossly exaggerated by certain sections of the press.//\n  5  brass/rhythm/woodwind/string etc section:  the people or person in a band or orchestra, who play the brass, rhythm etc instruments//\n  6 LAW:   [C] one of the parts of a law or a legal document//  --Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution//\n  7 SIDE/TOP VIEW:   [U and C]  technical a picture that shows what a building, part of the body etc would look like if it were cut from top to bottom or side to side//    cross-section//  in section//  --Here’s the outside view, and here are the floors in section.//\n  8 MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC:   technical //  a)  [U and C] a medical operation that involves cutting//    caesarean section at caesarean//  b)  [C] a very thin flat piece that is cut from skin, a plant etc to be looked at under a microscope//\n  9 AREA OF LAND:   [C]  AmE a square area of land in the US that is one mile long on each side//\n  10 MATHEMATICS:   [C]  technical the shape that is made when a solid figure is cut by a flat surface in mathematics//\nsection 2 v [T] \n  1  BrE to officially force someone with a mental illness to go to a psychiatric hospital, because they are dangerous to themselves or other people:\n  2 to separate something into parts:  --Peel and section the oranges.//\n  3  technical  or  medical to cut a very thin flat piece from skin, a plant etc so that you can look at it under a microscope:\n  4  medical to cut a part of the body in a medical operation:  section off [section sth → off] phr v//  to divide an area into parts, especially by putting something between the parts//  --The vegetable plots were sectioned off by a low wall.//


Words: sectional
Meaning:
adj \n  1 concerned only with your own small group in society or in an organization, as opposed to being concerned about society or the institution as a whole:  --community groups seeking to protect sectional interests //\n  2 a sectional drawing or view of something shows what it would look like if it were cut from top to bottom, or from side to side:  --a sectional view of the building//\n  3 made up of sections that can be put together or taken apart:  --a sectional sofa//


Words: sector
Meaning:
W1   n [C]   [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: secare;   SECTION1]//\n  1 a part of an area of activity, especially of business, trade etc:  sector of//  --the agricultural sector of the economy//  public/private sector (=business controlled by the government or by private companies) //\n  2 one of the parts into which an area is divided, especially for military purposes:


Words: sectoral
Meaning:
adj [usually before noun]  technical   relating to the various economic sectors of a society or to a particular economic sector//


Words: secular
Meaning:
adj   [Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: seculer, from  Latin saecularis  ’coming once in an age’, from  saeculum  ’breed, generation’]//\n  1 not connected with or controlled by a church or other religious authority:  --secular education//  --our modern secular society//\n  2 a secular priest lives among ordinary people, rather than with other priests in a monastery:


Words: secularism
Meaning:
n [U] \n  1 a system of social organization that does not allow religion to influence the government, or the belief that religion should not influence a government:\n  2 the quality of behaving in a way that shows religion does not influence you:  --the secularism of popular culture//  -- secularist n  [C] //


Words: secularize
Meaning:
also  secularise BrE   v [T]   to remove the control or influence of religious groups from a society or an institution//  -- secularization/sekj[hA36A]l[hA353]ra[hA366]ze[hA366][hA35D][hA368]n $ -r[hA353]-/ n  [U] //


Words: secure
Meaning:
S3   adj   ----------//\n   1 permanent/certain:\n   2 place/building:\n   3 safe from harm:\n   4 confident:\n   5 not worried:\n   6 firmly fastened:  ----------//  [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: securus, from  se  ’without’ +  cura  ’care’]//\n  1 PERMANENT/CERTAIN:  a situation that is secure is one that you can depend on because it is not likely to change//  --There are no secure jobs these days.//  --We want a secure future for our children.//  --United’s position at the top of the league seems relatively secure.//\n  2 PLACE/BUILDING:  locked or guarded so that people cannot get in or out, or steal anything//  --The house isn’t very secure - we need some new locks.//  --Keep your passport in a secure place .//  secure accommodation  BrE  (=a type of prison) //  --In the last year only three children under the age of 14 have had to be placed in secure accommodation.//\n  3 SAFE FROM HARM:  safe from and protected against damage or attack//  --Companies can offer secure credit card transactions over the internet.//  secure from//  --These elephants are relatively secure from poachers.//\n  4 CONFIDENT:  feeling confident about yourself and your abilities//  → insecure//  --We want our children to be secure and feel good about themselves.//\n  5 NOT WORRIED:  feeling confident and certain about a situation and not worried that it might change//  --Workers no longer feel secure about the future.//  --It was enough money to make us feel financially secure .//  --We huddled together, secure in the knowledge that the rescue helicopter was on its way.//\n  6 FIRMLY FASTENED:  firmly fastened or tied, and not likely to fall down//  --Are you sure that shelf is secure?//\nsecure 2 W2 v [T]   ----------//\n   1 get/achieve:\n   2 safe from harm:\n   3 tie firmly:\n   4 borrowing money:  ----------//\n  1 GET/ACHIEVE:  to get or achieve something that will be permanent, especially after a lot of effort//  --Boyd’s goal secured his team’s place in the Cup Final.//  secure a deal/contract //  --The company recently secured a $20 million contract with Ford.//  --Negotiators are still working to secure the hostages’ release.//  --Redgrave won his third Olympic gold medal, and secured his place in history .//\n  2 SAFE FROM HARM:  to make something safe from being attacked, harmed, or lost//  --Troops were sent to secure the border.//  secure sth against sb/sth//  --They built a 10ft high fence to secure the house against intruders.//  --an agreement to secure the future of the rainforest//\n  3 TIE FIRMLY:  to fasten or tie something firmly in a particular position//  secure sth to sth//  --John secured the boat firmly to the jetty.//\n  4 BORROWING MONEY:  if you secure a debt or a loan, you legally promise that if you cannot pay back the money you have borrowed, you will give the lender goods or property of the same value instead//  --He used his house to secure the loan .//


Words: securely
Meaning:
adv \n  1 tied, fastened etc tightly, especially in order to make something safe:  securely locked/fastened/attached/held etc //  --All firearms should be kept securely locked in a cabinet.//\n  2 in a way that protects something from being stolen or lost:  --Customers can now buy products securely over the internet.//\n  3 in a way that is likely to continue successfully and not change:  --By that time, democracy had become securely established in Spain.//


Words: Securities and Exchange Commission
Meaning:
the   the SEC a US government organization which makes sure that people and companies obey the laws about the sale of stocks and bonds//


Words: Securities and Investments Board
Meaning:
the   the SIB a British organization that makes sure  investment businesses in the UK work fairly and are not involved in dishonest business methods//


Words: security
Meaning:
W1   n   ----------//\n   1 protection from danger:\n   2 protection from bad situations:\n   3 guards:\n   4 borrowing money:\n   5 securities:  ----------//\n  1 PROTECTION FROM DANGER:   [U] things that are done to keep a person, building, or country safe from danger or crime//  --The trial was held under tight security .//  -- lax security at airline check-in desks//  --terrorist activity that is a threat to national security //  --The prison was ordered to tighten security after a prisoner escaped yesterday.//  --The Security Commission investigates breaches of security .//  --We have been asked not to say anything for security reasons .//  --The security forces opened fire, killing two people.//  --The thief was caught on a security camera .//  --There are strict security checks on everyone entering the Opera House.//  --A large number of homes lack adequate security measures .//\n  2 PROTECTION FROM BAD SITUATIONS:   [U] protection from bad things that could happen to you//  --Parenting is about giving your child security and love.//  --Workers want greater job security  (=not being in danger of losing your job) .//  --This insurance plan offers your family financial security in the event of your death.//\n  3 GUARDS:   [U] the department of a company or organization that deals with the protection of its buildings and equipment//  --One of the sales clerks called security.//    security guard//\n  4 BORROWING MONEY:   [U] something such as property that you promise to give someone if you cannot pay back money you have borrowed from them//  security for//  --Reiss used his Brooklyn home as security for the loan.//\n  5  securities [plural]  stocks or shares in a company:  ----------//  COLLOCATES for sense 1 //  strict/tight security (=careful security) //  lax security (=security that is not careful enough) //  national/state security (=the security of a country against its enemies) //  tighten security (=make security better) //  breach of security (=when something dangerous happens, in spite of security measures) //  for security reasons //  the security services/forces (=the police, army etc) //  security camera //  security check //  security measures/arrangements //  maximum security prison/jail //  ----------//


Words: security blanket
Meaning:
n [C] \n  1 a piece of material that a child likes to hold, to comfort himself or herself:\n  2 something that you have had for a long time, and that you use to make yourself feel less anxious:


Words: security clearance
Meaning:
n [U and C]   official permission for someone to see secret documents etc, or to enter a building, after a strict checking process//


Words: Security Council
Meaning:
the   the most powerful part of the  United Nations, which is responsible for making sure that countries behave peacefully towards each other, and for deciding what the United Nations should do if countries go to war. It is a committee of five permanent members (the US, the UK, Russia, France, and China) and ten other members who change every two years.//


