The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary 24th March 2020
- lockdown (noun) – a state of isolation; confinement, restraint, encirclement.
- aid (verb) – help, assist, support.
- spectre (noun) – threat, menace, danger/peril.
- novel coronavirus (nCoV) (noun) – a new strain (type/variety) coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. (Courtesy: WHO)
- unprecedented (adjective) – not done or experienced before.
- catastrophe (noun) – destruction, damage, disaster.
- flatten (verb) – make flat, make even, make smooth.
- frayed (adjective) – strained, stressed, fraught, overtaxed.
- cope with (verb) – deal with, grapple with, handle/manage.
- inter- (prefix) – between.
- cessation (noun) – suspension, stopping, halting/ceasing.
- first-order (adjective) – primary, immediate, urgent.
- pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
- epidemic (noun) – widespread disease/illness; outbreak, plague, scourge.
- galvanise (verb) – inspire, spur, encourage.
- machinery (noun) – organization, system, structure.
- address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
- curfew (noun) – a rule which is instructing people to stay at home, typically at night.
- near-total (adjective) – close by.
- compliance (noun) – conformity, observation, adherence.
- culminate (verb) – come to a climax; come to an end with, terminate with.
- noisy (adjective) – vociferous, clamorous, tumultuous, talkative.
- scramble (verb) – struggle, hurry/hasten, rush (to do something to achieve a goal/result).
- stuff (verb) – fill, pack, force/push, ram.
- strand (verb) – get stuck, be in a place (unable to move).
- termini plural form of terminus (noun) – the end of a transport route (railway or others).
- hapless (adjective) – unfortunate, unlucky, ill-fated, cursed.
- fend for oneself (verb) – take care of oneself, look after oneself, manage by oneself.
- pathogen (noun) – bacteria/virus that causes disease.
- unwittingly (adverb) – inadvertently, unknowingly, unintentionally.
- chaos (noun) – disorder, turmoil, mayhem/disruption.
- misery (noun) – pain, distress, suffering.
- call for (phrasal verb) – require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.
- all hands on deck (phrase) – figuratively means that all the members are involved in a situation.
- mitigate (verb) – reduce, lessen, decrease, make less severe.
- vulnerable (adjective) – weak, feeble; unsafe, unprotected/unguarded.
- staple (adjective) – main or important thing, major/primary element.
- household (noun) – family, house.
- casual labourer (noun) – a person who is employed on a temporary, rather than a permanent or regular basis.
- tenuous (adjective) – weak, fragile, shaky; insubstantial, unspecific, indefinite.
- periodic (adjective) – regular, periodical, recurrent, recurring.
- subsistence (modifier) – relating to sufficient only for one’s own use; relating to one’s maintenance, living, livelihood.
- stimulus (noun) – impetus, boost, incentive, fillip.
- sustain (verb) – preserve, conserve, bolster up.
- stare someone in the eye (verb) – look fixedly, gaze, watch closely (at someone).
- universally (adverb) – by everyone; in every case, invariably; widely, commonly.
- point out (phrasal verb) – identify, recognize, draw attention to, mention.
- breather (noun) – break, rest/pause, interval after a period of activity.
- get a grip (phrase) – make an effort to control oneself; regain one’s composure.
- lie ahead (phrasal verb) – be going to happen; to be in the future.
- mettle (noun) – spirit, strength of character, nerve/determination.
