Word Master — Set 29

Set 29 of Word Master covers 5 words: cadge, spawn, expatiate, purge, purport. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. cadge · verb/kædʒ/

   to obtain something through flattery or by asking for it rather than earning it

   He tried to cadge some free snacks from his friends at the party.

   Synonyms: scrounge, beg, mooch

   Origin: The word 'cadge' originates from the late Middle English 'cadgen', meaning 'to catch' or 'to carry.'

2. spawn · verb/spɔn/

   to produce or generate offspring or new entities

   The fish spawn in the river every spring, creating many baby fish.

   Synonyms: create, generate, produce

   Origin: Middle English 'sponne', from Old English 'spon' meaning 'to give birth to young'.

3. expatiate · verb/ɪkˈspeɪʃiˌeɪt/

   to speak or write at length or in detail

   The teacher decided to expatiate on the topic so that all the students would understand it better.

   Synonyms: discuss, elaborate, expand

   Origin: Originating from the Latin word 'expatiari', meaning 'to wander or to spread out'.

4. purge · verb/pɜrdʒ/

   to remove or eliminate something undesirable or unwanted

   They decided to purge their old clothes that they no longer wear.

   Synonyms: cleanse, clear, remove

   Origin: from Middle English purgen, from Latin purgare meaning 'to cleanse'

5. purport · verb/pərˈpɔrt/

   to claim or assert something, often misleadingly

   The ad claimed to purport great health benefits, but many experts disagreed.

   Synonyms: claim, assert, profess

   Origin: from Old French 'purporter', meaning 'to carry forward', from Latin 'purportare', with 'pur-' meaning 'forth' and 'portare' meaning 'to carry'