monitor, undergo, imply, detect, alleviate: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 9. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. monitor · verb/ˈmɑnədər/

   to regularly check, observe or keep track of

   Astronauts must regularly measure their mass to monitor their health during space missions.

   Synonyms: watch, observe, keep an eye on

   Origin: early 16th century (in monitor): from Latin, from monit- ‘warned’, from the verb monere. monitor dates from the 1930s

2. undergo · verb/ˌəndərˈɡoʊ/

   to experience; go through

   Jordan has undergone a period of rapid modernisation in the last few decades, with high-tech and high-rise buildings being built in its major cities.

   Synonyms: undertake, encounter, stand

   Origin: Old English undergān ‘undermine’ (see under-, go)

3. imply · verb/ɪmˈplaɪ/

   to suggest or hint at something without directly stating it

   His comments seemed to imply that he was unhappy with the decision, although he never said so directly.

   Synonyms: mean, suggest, indicate, hint

   Origin: late Middle English: from Old French emplier, from Latin implicare, from in- ‘in’ + plicare ‘to fold’. The original sense was ‘entwine’; in the 16th and 17th centuries the word also meant ‘employ’. Compare with employ and implicate

4. detect · verb/dəˈtɛk(t)/

   to find or notice something; discover

   An infrared camera can easily detect the heat of a person and convert it into an image or video.

   Synonyms: recognize, identify, spot

   Origin: late Middle English: from Latin detect- ‘uncovered’, from the verb detegere, from de- (expressing reversal) + tegere ‘to cover’. The original senses were ‘uncover, expose’ and ‘give someone away’, later ‘expose the real or hidden nature of’; hence the current (partly influenced by detective)

5. alleviate · verb/əˈliviˌeɪt/

   to make something less strong, less difficult or less serious

   One of the easiest yet most effective things you can do to help alleviate poverty in your community is simply to volunteer for a project that helps people in need.

   Synonyms: reduce, lessen, diminish, relieve

   Origin: late Middle English: from late Latin alleviat- ‘lightened’, from the verb alleviare, from Latin allevare, from ad- ‘to’ + levare ‘raise’, influenced by levis ‘light’