The Hindu Editorial (The swarm) – May 28, 2020

Just last week, eastern India was battered by one of the most powerful cyclones in decades and now,… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (The swarm) – May 28, 2020.

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Today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (The swarm) – May 28, 2020

swarm (noun) – a large group of flying insects.
locust (noun) – locusts are crop-eating insects (short-horned grasshoppers) that travel in large swarms. The desert locust is a species of locust and it is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world and a single swarm covering 1 square kilometre can contain up to 80 million locusts. The desert locusts are feeding and breeding in agricultural fields.
dimension (noun) – aspect, feature, side, element.
batter (verb) – damage, spoil, impair/ruin.
decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
coronavirus (CoV)(noun) – a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)
lurk (verb) – be remain hidden, but poses as a danger; wait quietly to ambush (attack) something.
burgeoning (adjective) – growing, increasing expanding, mushrooming rapidly.
amplify (verb) – intensify, magnify/raise, escalate.
agrarian (adjective) – relating to cultivating/farming.
species (noun) – a group/breed/family of living organisms (animals & plants) with the individual having the same quality & can breed.
bane (noun) – burden, curse, scourge.
periodic (adjective) – regular, periodical, recurrent, recurring.
outbreak (noun) – sudden appearance/occurrence, outburst, flare-up.
marauding (adjective) – devastating; to go around & cause damage; It generally means raiding, looting, hunting (to roam around to steal goods & cause damage to the people).
objective (noun) – aim, intention, purpose.
upsurge (noun) – sudden increase or rise of something.
breeding (noun) – reproduction, reproducing, multiplying.
last (verb) – continue, go on, remain, exist.
quietus (noun) – (something that has a peaceful) conclusion/end/dissolution.
building up (noun) – development, formation, beginning/starting.
potentially (adverb) – possibly, probably, conceivably.
testimony (noun) – evidence, proof, attestation/witness.
devastating (adjective) – destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic.
potential (noun) – possibilities, potentiality, capability.
arcane (adjective) – mysterious, secret, hidden, concealed, covert.
noxious (adjective) – harmful, dangerous, damaging, destructive.
weed (noun) – an unwanted & valueless plant growing wild in fields of crops/plants and affecting the growth of cultivated crops/plants.
provision (noun) – term, clause, requirement/condition.
whereby (adverb) – by which.
call upon (phrasal verb) – ask formally, demand (to do something).
render (verb) – give, provide, furnish.
imprisonment (noun) – incarceration, custody, confinement.
abide by (verb) – conform to, adhere to, comply with.
antiquated (adjective) – outdated, old-fashioned, obsolete.
sound (verb) – seem, appear, look.
humanity (noun) – humankind, the human race, people.
blight (noun) – affliction, scourge, bane, curse.
plague (noun) – a contagious disease.
pestilence (noun) – deadly epidemic/pandemic disease.
fallout (noun) – adverse results; after-effects, repercussions.
meteorologist (noun) – weatherman, weather forecaster.
fall short of (phrase) – be deficient, be inadequate, be insufficient.
El Nino (noun) – abnormal warming (of the Equatorial East of the Pacific that lies closer to the Americas). La Niña means abnormal cooling.
flip (noun) – a somersault (turning over 360 deg) in the air.
Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) (noun) – it is defined by the difference in the sea surface temperature between the two equatorial areas of the Indian Ocean – a western pole near the Arabian Sea (in western Indian Ocean) and an eastern pole closer to the Bay of Bengal (in eastern Indian Ocean). The IOD affects the climate of Southeast Asia, Australia and other countries across the Indian Ocean.
relatively (adverb) – comparatively, to a certain extent, somewhat.
in the works (phrase) – ongoing, happening, occurring.
cause for cheer (phrase) – reason to be cheerful.
moist (adjective) – humid, damp, wet, rainy.
precipitate (verb) – bring about, cause something (suddenly).
rain-bearing (adjective) – (of air) bringing rain.
aid (verb) – help, assist, support.
quarantine (noun) – a process of separating out people, animals and things (such as plants) from others for a period of time in order to control/restrict the spread of a contagious disease; Quarantine is imposed to separate and restrict the movement of persons, who may have been exposed to infectious disease, but not yet known to be ill.
halt (verb) – stop, end, cease, terminate.
standing crop (noun) – a growing & uncut crop. (In ecology, standing crop is the total amount of biomass (living matter/ living material) present in an ecosystem at a particular time).
paradoxically (adverb) – contradictorily, inconsistently, incongruously.
conducive (adjective) – helpful, favourable, beneficial/advantageous.
sowing (noun) – an act of seeding a plant or crop.
highlight (verb) – underline, underscore, emphasize, call attention to.
global warming (noun) – it is the unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels.
disparate (adjective) – contrasting, different, dissimilar.
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
potency (noun) – strength, power.
folly (noun) – foolishness, stupidity, madness, irresponsibility, thoughtlessness.
transcend (verb) – go beyond, rise above, cut across.
territorial (adjective) – localized, zonal.
equitable (adjective) – fair, impartial.
sustainable (adjective) – reasonable, sensible, well founded (without disturbing the balance of nature and then without exhausting all of natural resources).