inherit, emerge, eradicate, endure, underestimate: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 30. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. inherit · verb/ɪnˈhɛrət/

   to receive characteristics from your parents through genes, or to receive money or property from someone who has died

   A child who has inherited a defective gene from one parent shows no signs of the disease at birth but may develop symptoms later in life.

   Synonyms: receive, obtain, acquire

   Origin: Middle English enherite ‘receive as a right’, from Old French enheriter, from late Latin inhereditare ‘appoint as heir’, from Latin in- ‘in’ + heres, hered- ‘heir’

2. emerge · verb/əˈmərdʒ/

   to start to exist; appear

   As the children grow up, you will realize that some problems will get easier, but new problems will emerge.

   Synonyms: arise, come out, rise

   Origin: late 16th century (in the sense ‘become known, come to light’): from Latin emergere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out, forth’ + mergere ‘to dip’

3. eradicate · verb/əˈrædəˌkeɪt/

   to destroy something or get rid of it completely

   We were able to eradicate many diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, and rabies thanks to vaccination.

   Synonyms: remove, wipe out, destroy, exterminate

   Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘pull up by the roots’): from Latin eradicat- ‘torn up by the roots’, from the verb eradicare, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + radix, radic- ‘root’

4. endure · verb/ɪnˈdʊr/

   to experience something hard but continue or carry on despite the difficulties

   Alice had to endure a lot of harsh criticism from her family members about the way she raises her son.

   Synonyms: bear, stand, survive, persist, withstand, tolerate

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French endurer, from Latin indurare ‘harden’, from in- ‘in’ + durus ‘hard’

5. underestimate · verb/ˌəndərˈɛstəˌmeɪt/

   to think that something is less important or strong than it actually is

   In martial arts, one of the most common and most useful mistakes is to underestimate your opponent.

   Synonyms: underrate, undervalue, misjudge, miscalculate