smelt, whittle, malinger, lionize, tout: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Proficient Plus set 21. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. smelt · verb/smɛlt/

   to extract a metal from its ore by heating and melting

   The miners will smelt the copper ore to make pure metal.

   Synonyms: extract, refine, melt

   Origin: Middle English smelten, from Old English smeltan, meaning 'to melt'

2. whittle · verb/ˈwɪtəl/

   to carve or shape wood by cutting off small pieces

   He likes to whittle small pieces of wood into funny shapes.

   Synonyms: carve, shape, cut

   Origin: from Old English 'hwitlan' meaning 'to cut away or trim'

3. malinger · verb/məˈlɪŋɡər/

   to pretend to be ill or injured in order to avoid work or duty

   He decided to malinger to avoid going to school on test day.

   Synonyms: feign, evade, shirk

   Origin: The word 'malinger' comes from the French verb 'malingrer', which means 'to feign illness'.

4. lionize · verb/ˈlaɪəˌnaɪz/

   to treat someone as a celebrity or to give them great public attention

   The media continues to lionize the famous athlete after his record-breaking achievement.

   Synonyms: celebrate, adore, praise

   Origin: The word 'lionize' originated in the early 19th century, derived from the term 'lion' in the sense of a notable or famous person, combining it with the suffix '-ize' to suggest treating someone as if they were a lion.

5. tout · verb/taʊt/

   to promote or publicize something enthusiastically

   The company will tout its new product at the big fair next month.

   Synonyms: promote, advertise, endorse

   Origin: The word 'tout' comes from the Middle English 'touten', meaning to look out or to watch.