Intermediate — Set 64

Set 64 of Intermediate covers 5 words: pray, holy, sin, religious, evil. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. pray · verb/preɪ/

   to speak, give thanks, or make requests to God, a deity, or a higher power

   Hundreds of people went to the church to pray for more rain for the harvest.

   Synonyms: offer a prayer

   Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘ask earnestly’): from Old French preier, from late Latin precare, alteration of Latin precari ‘entreat’

2. holy · adjective/ˈhoʊli/

   connected with a god or religion and considered sacred

   The ancient temple is considered holy by many believers.

   Synonyms: sacred, divine, blessed

   Origin: Old English hālig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German heilig, also to whole

3. sin · noun/sɪn/

   an action considered morally wrong according to a religion

   He believed he committed a terrible sin by behaving badly towards his wife.

   Synonyms: wrongdoing

   Origin: Old English synn (noun), syngian (verb); probably related to Latin sons, sont- ‘guilty’

4. religious · adjective/rəˈlɪdʒəs/

   related to religion or believing in a religion

   The fact that he has a religious family does not make him a religious person.

   Synonyms: devout, spiritual, pious

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French, from Latin religiosus, from religio ‘reverence, obligation’ (see religion)

5. evil · adjective/ˈiv(ə)l/

   morally very bad or harmful

   He was such an evil dictator, who was responsible for the deaths of millions of his own countrymen.

   Synonyms: wicked, cruel

   Origin: Old English yfel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch euvel and German Übel