Proficient — Set 16

Set 16 of Proficient covers 5 words: surge, curtail, perpetuate, deprecate, scrutinize. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. surge · noun/sɜrdʒ/

   a sudden powerful forward or upward movement

   There was a surge in water after the heavy rain flooded the streets.

   Synonyms: rise, wave, rush

   Origin: from the Latin 'surge', meaning 'to rise'.

2. curtail · verb/kərˈteɪl/

   to reduce in extent or quantity; to impose a restriction on

   The school decided to curtail the number of field trips this year because of budget cuts.

   Synonyms: reduce, limit, restrict

   Origin: from Middle English 'curtailen', originally from 'curtail', meaning to cut short; derived from 'curt' meaning short.

3. perpetuate · verb/pərˈpɛtʃʊˌeɪt/

   to cause something to continue indefinitely

   The school wants to perpetuate the tradition of annual sports day.

   Synonyms: continue, sustain, maintain

   Origin: from Latin 'perpetuare', meaning to make perpetual or to continue forever.

4. deprecate · verb/ˈdɛprəˌkeɪt/

   to express disapproval of or to belittle

   The teacher often deprecated students for not doing their homework.

   Synonyms: disapprove, belittle, criticize

   Origin: from Latin 'deprecatus', past participle of 'deprecari', meaning 'to pray against' or 'to express disapproval'

5. scrutinize · verb/ˈskruːtənaɪz/

   to examine closely and critically

   The teacher will scrutinize the students' essays for mistakes.

   Synonyms: examine, inspect, analyze

   Origin: from Latin 'scrutari' meaning 'to search' or 'to examine closely'