Experiment, Learn, and Repeat!: English Vocabulary List

a branch of science and art that consists of creating maps

"Cartography is the art of making accurate maps of countries and cities."

"Cartography is the science and visual art of representing geographic information on a flat surface"

to think about something with regard to its condition and relating information so as to understand it better

"Contextualize the quote within the era."

"The professor tried to contextualize the historical event by explaining the social and economic conditions of that specific time period."

to provide supporting evidence for a theory, statement, etc.

"The witness corroborated his story."

"The witness's testimony helped to corroborate the victim's story and provided additional evidence that the police needed to make an arrest."

contradictory to the expectations that are formed on common sense or intuition

"The result is counterintuitive."

"The counterintuitive result surprised the scientists because it contradicted everything they expected to find."

a quality that renders a thing or person as trustworthy or believable

"Source has high credibility."

"The news source has high credibility because it always reports facts accurately and honestly."

belonging to the earlier stages of growth and development

"The plan is still embryonic."

"The plan is still embryonic and we have not worked out all the details yet."

based upon observations or experiments instead of theories or ideas

"The evidence is empirical."

"The scientist relied on empirical evidence gathered from experiments rather than on theories or opinions that could not be tested."

(in philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is derived from sensory experience rather than theory or intuition

"Empiricism needs senses."

"Empiricism emphasizes that all knowledge originates from sensory experience and observation."

to make an attempt at matching or surpassing someone or something, particularly by the means of imitation

"Young athletes emulate their heroes."

"Young athletes often try to emulate their sports heroes by copying their training routines and behaviors on and off the field."

displaying or possessing extensive knowledge that is acquired by studying and reading

"The professor is erudite."

"The erudite professor could speak seven languages fluently and he had read thousands of books on many different topics."

severe, demanding, or unrelenting in requiring effort, compliance, or performance

"The teacher is exacting."

"The ballet teacher had exacting standards and she made her students practice the same movement for hours until it was perfect."

complete with regard to every single detail or element

"The list is exhaustive."

"The list is exhaustive and includes every single item that we need to buy for the trip."

true in a way that leaves no room for denial or disagreement

"The evidence is incontrovertible."

"The evidence is incontrovertible and proves beyond any doubt that he is guilty of the crime."

so clear or convincing that it cannot be reasonably disputed or denied

"The evidence is irrefutable."

"The evidence is irrefutable and proves beyond any doubt that he committed the crime."

someone who lacks professional knowledge regarding a specific subject

"The doctor explained it to the layperson."

"The doctor explained the complex diagnosis in simple terms that any layperson could easily understand."

extremely careful and attentive to details

"She is a meticulous worker."

"She is a meticulous worker and checks every detail twice before submitting her reports."

a formal document that gives someone the right to be the only one who makes, uses, or sells an invention or product for a limited amount of time

"The patent was approved"

"The patent was approved after years of research and legal examination by authorities"

constantly traveling to different locations, particularly due to work

"He has a peripatetic lifestyle."

"He has a peripatetic lifestyle and moves from city to city every few months for his job."

to consider or examine something while being very careful and attentive to detail

"Please peruse the contract before signing."

"Please take your time to peruse the menu before the waiter returns to take your order for dinner."

probably true due to being reasonable and based on the available facts

"He is the presumptive nominee."

"He is the presumptive nominee because all of his opponents have dropped out of the race."

possessing the ability to experience, feel, or perceive things through the senses

"The being is sentient."

"The sentient robot in the movie developed emotions and the scientists had to decide whether it deserved the same rights as humans."

very complete, careful, and attentive to detail

"She is a thoroughgoing professional."

"She is a thoroughgoing professional and approaches every task with complete dedication and attention to detail."

(of a position, argument, theory, etc.) not capable of being supported, defended, or justified when receiving criticism or objection

"His position is untenable."

"His position is untenable and he will have to resign because nobody supports him anymore."

the defining spirit or mood of a particular period in history, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of the time

"The zeitgeist of the sixties was all about peace"

"The zeitgeist of the 1960s was defined by a strong desire for peace and freedom."

resembling or imitating a previous work, often in a way that lacks originality

"The painting is derivative."

"The derivative painting was clearly?? of a famous artist work and had no original ideas of its own."

to raise doubt about someone or something and make people stop believing in them

"They discredit him."

"The lawyer attempted to discredit the witness's testimony by highlighting inconsistencies."

to heat a liquid and turn it into gas then cool it and make it liquid again in order to purify it

"They distill water to purify."

"The old whiskey distillery uses traditional copper pots to distill its spirits for the best flavor."

to overshadow another astrological body

"The moon will eclipse."

"During the solar eclipse, the moon will temporarily eclipse the sun, casting a shadow on Earth."

to estimate something using past experiences or known data

"We can extrapolate future trends from data."

"From the small amount of data we have it is difficult to extrapolate the final results accurately."

words, phrases, and expressions used by a specific group or profession, which are incomprehensible to others

"Doctors use medical jargon often."

"The technical jargon used in the IT department was difficult for the new employees to understand."

a selection of theories and ideas that explain how a particular school, subject, or discipline is generally understood

"A new paradigm emerged."

"The discovery of DNA fundamentally shifted the paradigm of biological research."

to combine so much of a chemical compound with a chemical solution that the solution cannot retain, absorb, or dissolve anymore of that compound

"Rain saturates the dry ground overnight."

"The heavy rain will saturate the ground completely within a few hours causing flooding in low lying areas."

remaining still, with no change in position

"The image is static."

"The static display of the ancient artifacts allowed visitors to examine them closely without any movement."

to prove something to be true by providing adequate evidence or facts

"Substantiate your claim."

"You need to substantiate your allegations with concrete evidence and factual accounts."

to find out about something, particularly by doing research

"We unearth secrets."

"Through meticulous research, the historian was able to unearth fascinating details about the ancient civilization."

very similar to the actual thing in almost every way

"It's a virtual copy."

"The virtual reality simulation provided an immersive and virtually indistinguishable experience from the real thing."

to turn into one or multiple crystals

"Water can crystallize."

"When cooled sufficiently, the supersaturated solution will crystallize into beautiful geometric shapes."