Essential Vocabulary - Noel's ESL eBook Library

100 Essential Vocabulary
ensemble (on SOM bil) n. 1. all parts taken together; the total effect; 2. a complete
costume, especially one having matching articles of clothing, like a suit;
3. a group of actors, dancers, etc., who perform together; 4. a musical group
• The success of the debating team does not rest on the shoulders of one
member but falls on the ensemble.
• With two pairs of pants, two blouses, and two jackets, you can make eight
different ensembles.
• This is a theatrical ensemble, with no single star.
• The string quartet was a very talented ensemble.
epidemiology (EP i DEEM ee OL uh jee) n. 1. the branch of medicine that
investigates the causes and control of epidemics; 2. all of the elements that combine
to cause or prevent a disease in a population; ecology of a disease
• The epidemiology of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa has been studied
very carefully.
• The epidemiology of West Nile virus and its outbreak in the eastern United
States is under close scrutiny.
[epidemiological adj., epidemiologist n.]
epilogue (EP i LOG) n. 1. a closing section added to a novel, play, etc. providing
extra comment, interpretation, or information; 2. a short speech or poem read
by an actor to the audience at the end of a play
• An epilogue is to the end of a story what a prologue is to the beginning.
• After his opera Don Giovanni ended with the lead character’s going to hell,
Mozart felt obliged to add an epilogue that said the Don’s departure left the
world a happier place.
• Douglas MacArthur’s “Old Soldiers Never Die” speech to Congress may be
looked upon as the epilogue to his career.
epitaph (EP it AF) n. 1. words written on a tomb or gravestone in memory of
the person buried there; 2. a short piece in prose or verse, written as a tribute to a
dead person, past event, etc.
• W. C. Fields proposed the following epitaph for himself: “Here lies W. C.
Fields. I would rather be living in Philadelphia.” (It is not on his
tombstone.)
• When World War II ended, its epitaph was splashed across newspaper front
pages in every city.
epitomize* (i PIT uh MYZ) vt. 1. to summarize the main points of a book,
report, incident, etc.; 2. showing all the particular qualities of something
• A good book report should critique as well as epitomize the story of the
book.
• Actor Michael Douglas epitomizes most of the qualities of his father, Kirk.
[-d, epitomizing] [Syn. summarize]
eradicate (ir AD ik AYT) vt. 1. to tear out by the roots; uproot; 2. get rid of;
wipe out; destroy
• Marge tried to eradicate the dandelions in her lawn.
• It was not so easy to eradicate the nest of hornets that took up lodgings on
the front porch.
[-d, eradicating, eradication n.] [Syn. exterminate]