The Hindu Editorial (Ominous signals) – Jun 02, 2020

India’s economy is in a severe slowdown that is only going to get worse in a pandemic-stricken world. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Ominous signals) – Jun 02, 2020.

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Today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Ominous signals) – Jun 02, 2020

ominous (adjective) – threatening, menacing, unfavourable, unpromising, gloomy.
slowdown (noun) – economic decline, recession, slump/depression.
lockdown (noun) – an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.
mandarin (noun) – a powerful officer, civil servant, functionary/bureaucrat.
prognosticate (verb) – forecast, predict, foretell.
bottom out (phrasal verb) – to reach a lowest or worst point (and from there the condition will only improve).
belie (verb) – fail to fulfil/satisfy (expectation/hopes/prediction/forecast).
Gross domestic product (GDP) (noun) – a measure of economic activity in a country. It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and service.
fiscal year (noun) – financial year.
reflect (verb) – indicate, show, reveal, exhibit.
stringent (adjective) – strict/stern, severe, tough/rigorous.
slump (verb) – decline, worsen, decrease.
statutory (adjective) – legitimate, acceptable, permissible/admissible.
undergo (verb) – be subjected to, go through, receive.
gross value added (GVA) (noun) – it is a measure of total output and income in the economy. It provides the rupee value for the amount of goods and services produced in an economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials that have gone into the production of those goods and services. It also gives sector-specific picture like what is the growth in an area, industry or sector of an economy. On the other hand, GDP or gross domestic product is a measure of economic activity in a country. It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and service.
malaise (noun) – trouble, uneasiness, unhappiness, depression.
novel coronavirus (nCoV) (SARS-CoV-2) (noun) – a new strain (type/variety) coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. (Courtesy: WHO)
land (on shore) (verb) – reach, arrive in, enter (a place).
far (adjective) – very much.
contract (verb) – decline, decrease, diminish, reduce.
shrank past of shrink (verb) – lessen, reduce, decrease.
percentage point (noun) – the difference between two percentages is termed as percentage point. (for example: “Interest Rates Jump From 10% to 12%”. In this case, the interest rate increased by “2 percentage points” or you can say that the interest rate is increased by 20%).
mire in (verb) – entangle, catch up, involve, mix up (a difficult situation).
drought (noun) – shortage, scarcity, deficiency.
unlikely (adjective) – not likely, improbable, doubtful.
abate (verb) – decline, reduce, decrease.
any time soon (phrase) – in the near future.
private consumption or consumption expenditure (noun) – the spending by households (consumers) on goods and services, excluding new housing.
account for (phrasal verb) – constitute, make up, comprise, form.
downtrend (noun) – decline, downturn, slump.
slide (verb) – fall, drop, plunge/descend (to a lower level).
consecutive (adjective) – successive, continuous, back-to-back.
devastating (adjective) – destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic.
core sector/industry (noun) – the eight industries comprising electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, natural gas and fertilizers are classified as core sector industries.
Index of Industrial Production (IIP) (noun) – a composite (combined/complex) indicator that measures the changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to the volume of production in a chosen base period.
alarming (adjective) – worrying, disturbing, shocking/distressing.
merchandise (mass noun) – goods, commodities, produce.
categorical (adjective) – explicit, unambiguous, definite, unconditional/conclusive.
materialise (verb) – happen, occur, take place.
credit enhancement (noun) – credit support; a risk-reduction technique that provides protection, in the form of financial support, to cover losses under stressed scenarios. A strategy adopted by companies wherein they take various internal and external measures to improve their creditworthiness, with the primary aim to procure better terms for repaying their debt and also reduces the risk of the investors of specific structured products in the financial market.
measure (noun) – step, action, course of action, plan of action, procedure.
constraint (noun) – restriction, limitation, restraint.
bear fruit (phrase) – yield/get results, succeed, be effective.
(time) horizon (noun) – a (fixed) point of time in the future (at which point certain processes will be evaluated or assumed to end).
imperative (noun) – necessary condition, essential requirement, necessity.
bite the bullet (phrase) – to go through a painful or otherwise unpleasant situation that has been delayed and seen as unavoidable beyond certain stage”. It simply means to accept a difficult decision or situation.
fiscal stimulus (noun) – an attempt by a government by measures normally involving increased public spending and lower taxation, aimed at giving a positive jolt to economic activity.
revive (verb) – recover, regain, restore, improve.