Upper-Intermediate — Set 2

Set 2 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: pollute, preserve, emit, dispose, reduce. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. pollute · verb/pəˈlut/

   to make land, air, or water dirty and unsafe to use

   Humans pollute the air, land, and sea by burning fossil fuels and using excessive amounts of chemicals and pesticides.

   Synonyms: contaminate, foul, infect

   Origin: late Middle English: from Latin pollut- ‘soiled, defiled’, from the verb polluere, based on the root of lutum ‘mud’

2. preserve · verb/prəˈzərv/

   to keep something safe from destruction

   The European Union has contributed over €300 million to environmental projects, aiming to preserve the environment for the benefit of future generations.

   Synonyms: protect, conserve, care for, take care of

   Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘keep safe from harm’): from Old French preserver, from late Latin praeservare, from prae- ‘before, in advance’ + servare ‘to keep’

3. emit · verb/əˈmɪt/

   to produce gas, light, smell, sound or radiation

   When burned, fossil fuels emit harmful gases including carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

   Synonyms: release, discharge, diffuse

   Origin: early 17th century: from Latin emittere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out of’ + mittere ‘send’

4. dispose · verb/dəˈspoʊz/

   to throw out or throw away something

   Knowing how to dispose of hazardous waste is imperative for citizens because it can be dangerous to others.

   Synonyms: get rid of, trash, discard

   Origin: late Middle English: from Old French disposer, from Latin disponere ‘arrange’, influenced by dispositus ‘arranged’ and Old French poser ‘to place’

5. reduce · verb/rəˈdus/

   to make something less or smaller

   We should reduce consumption and minimize our impact on the ecosystem but this is not easy to do in a culture of mass consumption.

   Synonyms: lower, lessen, cut down on, decrease

   Origin: late Middle English: from Latin reducere, from re- ‘back, again’ + ducere ‘bring, lead’. The original sense was ‘bring back’ (hence ‘restore’, now surviving in reduce); this led to ‘bring to a different state’, then ‘bring to a simpler or lower state’ (hence reduce); and finally ‘diminish in size or amount’ (reduce, dating from the late 18th century)