Intermediate — Set 32

Set 32 of Intermediate covers 5 words: concerned, contain, approve, resemble, invest. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. concerned · adjective/kənˈsərnd/

   worried

   His family must be really concerned about his recent behaviour and choices.

   Synonyms: anxious, disturbed, uneasy, troubled

2. contain · verb/kənˈteɪn/

   to have something as a part

   He gave her a box containing a diamond ring.

   Synonyms: include, involve, hold in

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French contenir, from Latin continere, from con- ‘altogether’ + tenere ‘to hold’

3. approve · verb/əˈpruv/

   to think that something is good or right

   We tried hard to get the contact but our boss did not approve of the arrangement.

   Synonyms: accept, validate, support, consent

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French aprover, from Latin approbare (see approbate). The original sense was ‘prove, demonstrate’, later ‘corroborate, confirm’, hence ‘pronounce to be satisfactory’ (late Middle English)

4. resemble · verb/rəˈzɛmb(ə)l/

   to look like or be like something or someone

   They did not look like each other when they were kids but as the years passed they have started to resemble each other more.

   Synonyms: take after, mirror, mimic

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French resembler, based on Latin similare (from similis ‘like’)

5. invest · verb/ɪnˈvɛst/

   to put your money, energy or time into something to make more of it

   He has invested a lot of money in the stock market.

   Synonyms: put

   Origin: mid 16th century (in the senses ‘clothe’, ‘clothe with the insignia of a rank’, and ‘endow with authority’): from French investir or Latin investire, from in- ‘into, upon’ + vestire ‘clothe’ (from vestis ‘clothing’). invest (sense 1) (early 17th century) is influenced by Italian investire