TOEFL Vocabulary — Set 181

Set 181 of TOEFL Vocabulary covers 5 words: wound, equity, phantom, spite, attorney. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. wound · noun/wuːnd/

   an injury to the body usually involving a break in the skin

   The soldier received a deep wound in battle that required immediate medical attention.

   Synonyms: injury, lesion, cut

   Origin: Middle English 'wounde' from Old English 'wund', from Proto-Germanic '*wundō', meaning 'to be strong, to be healthy, to be whole'.

2. equity · noun/ˈɛkwɪti/

   the quality of being fair and impartial

   The committee worked diligently to ensure equity in the distribution of resources among all departments.

   Synonyms: fairness, justice, impartiality

   Origin: from Old French 'equité', from Latin 'aequitas', meaning 'evenness' or 'fairness'

3. phantom · noun/ˈfæn.təm/

   a ghostly presence or an illusion of something that is not real

   The old mansion was rumored to be haunted by a phantom from centuries past, wandering through its empty halls.

   Synonyms: ghost, specter, apparition

   Origin: The word 'phantom' originates from the Greek 'phantasma', meaning 'an appearance, a phantom', which is derived from 'phantazō', meaning 'to make visible, to appear'.

4. spite · noun/spaɪt/

   a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone

   She made that comment out of spite, hoping to hurt his feelings during the meeting.

   Synonyms: malice, animosity, resentment

   Origin: Middle English 'spite', from Old French 'despite', from Latin 'despectus', meaning 'a looking down on'.

5. attorney · noun/əˈtɜr.ni/

   a person appointed to act for another in legal matters

   After reviewing the case, the attorney recommended settling out of court to avoid a lengthy legal battle.

   Synonyms: lawyer, advocate, counsel

   Origin: from Old French 'atorné', meaning 'appointed, designated', based on the Latin 'ad' (to) and 'torna' (turn).