The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary 16th April 2020

1. stress test (noun) – a test to analyse the function of a system when it is subjected to more pressure.
2. lockdown (noun) – an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.
3. 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.
4. normalcy (noun) – a normal condition; normality, regularity.
5. protocol (noun) – procedure, convention, rules of conduct.
6. staggered (adjective) – spaced out, spread out, timed at intervals (of something as they don’t happen at the same time).
7. rollback (noun) – an act/process of restoring something to a previously defined state.
8. depend on (verb) – be based on, rely on, be conditional on.
9. COVID-19 (noun) – coronavirus disease 2019.
10. draw out (phrasal verb) – prolong, extend, protract, stretch out, lengthen.
11. vaccine (noun) – a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.
12. indefinitely (adverb) – for an unspecified time/period, forever.
13. a step forward (noun) – improvement, development.
14. quarantine (noun) – a process of separating out people, animals and things (such as plants) from others for a period of time in order to control/restrict the spread of a contagious disease; Quarantine is imposed to separate and restrict the movement of persons, who may have been exposed to infectious disease, but not yet known to be ill.
15. coercive (adjective) – authoritarian, overbearing, tough/harsh, high-handed.
16. fall on (phrasal verb) – to take hold of someone suddenly to attack/assail, beat up; (of a burden) be borne by, incurred by.
17. heavily (adverb) – excessively, immoderately, inordinately; awfully, terribly.
18. sledgehammer (noun) – powerful; forceful; ruthless (tool).
19. containment (noun) – an act of keeping something (harmful) under control (it means quickly identifying cases of coronavirus through testing, placing infected individuals in isolation, tracking who infected persons might have been in contact with and potentially quarantining those who came into contact with infection so that the disease doesn’t continue to spread).
20. push something/someone into a corner (phrase) – put something/someone in a difficult situation that it/they cannot easily escape from it and is/are left with a few choices.
21. desperate (adjective) – hopeless, anguished, distressed, in despair.
22. comprehensive (adjective) – broad-based, diverse, all-inclusive.
23. incentive (noun) – (financial) stimulus, impetus; concession.
24. the vulnerable (noun) – a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support.
25. distress (noun) – difficulty, trouble, suffering.
26. collapse (verb) – fail, founder, go wrong, break down (suddenly and completely).
27. proactive (adjective) – aggressive, intense, passionate.
28. in need of (phrase) – needing/requiring something.
29. breakdown (noun) – failure, collapse, foundering.
30. claim (verb) – to cause the loss of someone’s life; to cause someone’s death.
31. far too many (phrase) – (people) in very great/large numbers.
32. lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring about, produce.
33. compliance (noun) – conformity, observation, adherence.
34. back on track (phrase) – return to normal path/direction; back on schedule, back on target.
35. hygiene (noun) – cleanliness.
36. social/physical distancing (noun) – a term means actively avoiding crowded public places, is a key element in decreasing the rapid spread of COVID-19. This is an effort intended to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing spread among people in community settings.

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