appoint, compromise, underestimate, harvest, reckon: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Advanced set 75. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. appoint · verb/əˈpɔɪnt/

   select a person to fill a position, typically high-ranking

   The Bolivian president appointed a new ambassador to Argentina.

   Synonyms: assign, elect

   Origin: late Middle English: from Old French apointer, from a point ‘to a point’

2. compromise · verb/ˈkɑmprəˌmaɪz/

   reduce one's original demands in order to come to an agreement

   The workers union refused to compromise with management during the negotiations on higher wages.

   Synonyms: negotiate, agree

   Origin: late Middle English (denoting mutual consent to arbitration): from Old French compromis, from late Latin compromissum ‘a consent to arbitration’, neuter past participle of compromittere, from com- ‘together’ + promittere (see promise)

3. underestimate · verb/ˌəndərˈɛstəˌmeɪt/

   evaluate a person or thing as less capable or important than they are

   His art teachers underestimated his talent, in fact, it was not until after college that Jason was recognized as a great painter.

   Synonyms: underrate, miscalculate, disregard

4. harvest · verb/ˈhɑrvəst/

   collect crops from a field

   The farmers were unable to harvest the potatoes as the fields had been flooded from the downpour.

   Synonyms: pick, gather, collect

   Origin: Old English hærfest ‘autumn’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch herfst and German Herbst, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin carpere ‘pluck’ and Greek karpos ‘fruit’

5. reckon · verb/ˈrɛk(ə)n/

   think that something could be true

   Sally looked out through the window pensively and said she reckoned it would rain that evening.

   Synonyms: consider, suppose, imagine

   Origin: Old English (ge)recenian ‘recount, relate’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch rekenen and German rechnen ‘to count (up)’. Early senses included ‘give an account of items received’ and ‘mention things in order’, which gave rise to the notion of ‘calculation’ and hence of ‘being of an opinion’