Upper-Intermediate — Set 42

Set 42 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: pioneer, brand, attire, novelty, simplicity. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. pioneer · noun/ˌpaɪəˈnɪr/

   someone who helps to open up a new line of technology or fashion

   Jean Daniel Lorieux, who is a pioneer in fashion photography, worked for Vogue Magazine for 20 years and he is known for his most successful campaigns for Dior.

   Synonyms: entrepreneur, venturer

   Origin: early 16th century (as a military term denoting a member of the infantry): from French pionnier ‘foot soldier, pioneer’, Old French paonier, from paon, from Latin pedo, pedon- (see pawn)

2. brand · noun/brænd/

   a name given to a product or service

   Only if a brand is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of the Department of Commerce, it can be a trademark.

   Synonyms: logo, symbol

   Origin: Old English brand ‘burning’ (also in brand), of Germanic origin; related to German Brand, also to burn. The verb sense ‘mark with a hot iron’ dates from late Middle English, giving rise to the noun sense ‘a mark of ownership made by branding’ (mid 17th century), whence brand (early 19th century)

3. attire · noun/əˈtaɪ(ə)r/

   clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion

   Wedding ceremonies can vary from one culture to another, but all wedding ceremonies have unwritten rules about an appropriate attire. For example, wearing shorts to a wedding party would be considered to be inappropriate in most cultures.

   Synonyms: costume, outfit

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French atirier, atirer ‘equip’, from a tire ‘in order’, of unknown origin

4. novelty · noun/ˈnɑvəlti/

   the quality or state of being new, original, or unusual

   When I visited the amusement park, the roller coaster was a novelty for me because I had never been on one before.

   Synonyms: originality, newness, freshness

   Origin: late Middle English: from Old French novelte, from novel ‘new, fresh’ (see novel)

5. simplicity · noun/sɪmˈplɪsədi/

   the quality of being simple

   It is known that many designers view simplicity as a style of design.

   Synonyms: plainness, naturalness

   Origin: late Middle English: from Old French simplicite or Latin simplicitas, from simplex (see simplex)