Intermediate — Set 56

Set 56 of Intermediate covers 5 words: massive, visible, tiny, gravity, distance. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. massive · adjective/ˈmæsɪv/

   very big

   Some stars end their existence in massive cosmic explosions known as supernovae.

   Synonyms: enormous, gigantic, colossal

   Origin: late Middle English: from French massif, -ive, from Old French massis, based on Latin massa (see mass)

2. visible · adjective/ˈvɪzəb(ə)l/

   able to be seen

   With big telescopes, stars from many galaxies become visible, so counting them becomes almost impossible.

   Synonyms: observable

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin visibilis, from videre ‘to see’

3. tiny · adjective/ˈtaɪni/

   very small

   Scientists are getting closer to creating a tiny version of the universe in the laboratory.

   Synonyms: very small, little

   Origin: late 16th century: extension of obsolete tine, ‘small, diminutive’, of unknown origin

4. gravity · noun/ˈɡrævədi/

   the force of attraction between two objects

   The force of gravity keeps planets moving around stars and pulls objects toward Earth.

   Synonyms: attraction

   Origin: late 15th century (in gravity (sense 2)): from Old French, or from Latin gravitas ‘weight, seriousness’, from gravis ‘heavy’. gravity (sense 1) dates from the 17th century

5. distance · noun/ˈdɪst(ə)ns/

   the space between two objects or points

   Both the Moon and Earth are the same average distance away from the Sun.

   Synonyms: gap, separation

   Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘discord, debate’): from Old French or from Latin distantia, from distant- ‘standing apart’, from the verb distare (see distant)