reciprocity |ˌresəˈpräsətē|
noun
the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, esp. privileges granted by one country or organization to another.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from French réciprocité, from réciproque, from Latin reciprocus ‘moving backward and forward’ (see reciprocate ).
propensity |prəˈpensətē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way : a propensity for violence | [with infinitive ] their innate propensity to attack one another.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from archaic propense (from Latin propensus ‘inclined,’ past participle of propendere, from pro- ‘forward, down’ + pendere ‘hang’ ) + -ity .
exacerbate |igˈzasərˌbāt|
verb [ trans. ]
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse : the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain.
DERIVATIVES
exacerbation |igˌzasərˈbā sh ən| noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin exacerbat- ‘made harsh,’ from the verb exacerbare, from ex- (expressing inducement of a state) + acerbus ‘harsh, bitter.’ The noun exacerbation ( late Middle English ) originally meant [provocation to anger.]
USAGE On the difference between exacerbate and exasperate, see usage at exasperate .
each party blames the other for exacerbating the problem aggravate, worsen, inflame, compound; intensify, increase, heighten, magnify, add to, amplify, augment; informal add fuel to the fire/flames.
noun
the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, esp. privileges granted by one country or organization to another.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from French réciprocité, from réciproque, from Latin reciprocus ‘moving backward and forward’ (see reciprocate ).
propensity |prəˈpensətē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way : a propensity for violence | [with infinitive ] their innate propensity to attack one another.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from archaic propense (from Latin propensus ‘inclined,’ past participle of propendere, from pro- ‘forward, down’ + pendere ‘hang’ ) + -ity .
exacerbate |igˈzasərˌbāt|
verb [ trans. ]
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse : the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain.
DERIVATIVES
exacerbation |igˌzasərˈbā sh ən| noun
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin exacerbat- ‘made harsh,’ from the verb exacerbare, from ex- (expressing inducement of a state) + acerbus ‘harsh, bitter.’ The noun exacerbation ( late Middle English ) originally meant [provocation to anger.]
USAGE On the difference between exacerbate and exasperate, see usage at exasperate .
Thesaurus
exacerbate - verbeach party blames the other for exacerbating the problem aggravate, worsen, inflame, compound; intensify, increase, heighten, magnify, add to, amplify, augment; informal add fuel to the fire/flames.
What are some of your favourite words and do you know their origin?
Comments