Vocabulary Enrichment

1.anarchy |ˈanərkē|

noun

a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority: he must ensure public order in a country threatened with anarchy.

• absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal.

2.err |ər, er|

verb [ no obj. ] formal

be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake: the judge had erred in ruling that the evidence was inadmissible.

• (often as adj. erring) sin; do wrong: the erring brother who had wrecked his life.

3. lost

past and past participle of lose.

adjective

1 unable to find one's way; not knowing one's whereabouts: Help! We're lost! | they got lost in the fog.

• unable to be found: he turned up with my lost golf clubs.

• (of a person) very confused or insecure or in great difficulties: she stood there clutching a drink, feeling completely lost | I'd be lost without her.

2 denoting something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered: if only one could recapture one's lost youth!

• (of time or an opportunity) not used advantageously; wasted: the decision meant a lost opportunity to create 200 jobs.

• having perished or been destroyed: a memorial to the lost crewmen.

3 (of a game or contest) in which a defeat has been sustained: the lost election of 1994.

3.loose |lo͞os|

adjective

1 not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached: a loose tooth | the truck's trailer came loose.

• not held or tied together; not packaged or placed in a container: wear your hair loose | pockets bulging with loose change.

• (of a person or animal) free from confinement; not bound or tethered: the bull was loose with cattle in the field | the tethered horses broke loose.

• not strict or exact: a loose interpretation.

• not close or compact in structure: a loose weave | figurative : a loose federation of political and industrial groups.

• typical of diarrhea: many patients report loose bowel movements.

2 (of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely: she slipped into a loose T-shirt and shorts.

3 relaxed; physically slack: she swung back into her easy, loose stride.

4.decent |ˈdēsənt|

adjective

1 conforming with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behavior: the good name of such a decent and innocent person.

• appropriate; fitting: they would meet again after a decent interval.

• not likely to shock or embarrass others: a decent high-necked dress.

• informal sufficiently clothed to see visitors: make yourself decent.

2 [ attrib. ] of an acceptable standard; satisfactory: find me a decent cup of coffee | people need decent homes.

• good: the deer are small: a 14-inch spread is a pretty decent buck.

• kind, obliging, or generous: that was pretty awfully decent of him.

5.abound |əˈbound| verb [ no obj. ] exist in large numbers or amounts: rumors of a further scandal abound.• (abound in/with) have in large numbers or amounts:this land abounds with wildlife.