Intermediate — Set 65

Set 65 of Intermediate covers 5 words: saint, pure, sinful, mystical, desire. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. saint · noun/seɪnt/

   a holy person

   He was an important person in Christianity and the Pope made him a saint after death.

   Synonyms: angel, martyr

   Origin: Middle English, from Old French seint, from Latin sanctus ‘holy’, past participle of sancire ‘consecrate’

2. pure · adjective/pjʊr/

   Something that is free from wrong.

   Young children have pure and innocent thoughts.

   Synonyms: real, right, moral

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French pur ‘pure’, from Latin purus

3. sinful · adjective/ˈsɪnf(ə)l/

   against religion

   When a lot of people are starving, it is sinful to waste food.

   Synonyms: shameful, evil

   Origin: Old English synfull(see sin, -ful)

4. mystical · adjective/ˈmɪstək(ə)l/

   related to religious or supernatural powers.

   Tribal or choral music often affects people deeply with its mystical power.

   Synonyms: supernatural, spiritual

5. desire · noun/dəˈzaɪ(ə)r/

   a strong feeling to do something

   People's desire for peace in Syria is understandable.

   Synonyms: ambition, eagerness, passion

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French desir (noun), desirer (verb), from Latin desiderare (see desiderate)