The day after Catalonia’s vote – The Hindu (Oct 03, 2017)
Catalonia’s defiant vote to secede from Spain is the culmination of Madrid’s costly miscalculations, with potentially serious ramifications for all of Europe. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.
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Courtesy: The Hindu
Word List-2 (To Improve English Vocabulary)
- Catalan (adjective) – relating to Catalonia, its people, or its language.
- conciliatory (adjective) – propitiatory, appeasing, pacifying/peacemaking.
- defiant (adjective) – uncooperative/non-compliant, confrontational, challenging.
- secede (verb) – break away from, separate from, split with/leave.
- culmination (noun) – climax, peak, pinnacle.
- ramifications (noun) – consequence, result, aftermath.
- referendum (noun) – public vote; a direct vote in which people cast ballots to decide on a specific issue or policy (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
- mar (verb) – spoil/ruin, impair; damage.
- erode (verb) – wear away, destroy, dissolve.
- impasse (noun) – stalemate, deadlock, stand-off.
- overwhelmingly (adverb) – extremely, very intensely, to a great degree.
- non-binding (adjective) – revocable/alterable, non-compulsory, unnecessary.
- blow over (phrasal verb) – subside, settle down, lessen.
- run-up to (noun) – a period/time before an important event.
- fester (verb) – intensify/become worse (of a problem because of long-negligence).
- eurozone crisis (noun) – a multi-year debt crisis that has been taking place in the European Union since the end of 2009. (Courtesy: Wikipedia).
- wane (verb) – decline, decrease, disappear.
- capitalise on (verb) – take advantage of, exploit, benefit from.
- secessionist (noun) – a person who supports the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity.
- foul (noun) – unfair, against the rules, illegal.
- undermine (verb) – weaken, compromise, diminish/reduce.
- indissoluble (adjective) – lasting, unalterable, unchanging.
- nullify (verb) – annul, invalidate; cancel out/negate.
- footing (noun) – foothold, grip/anchorage, support.
- embolden (verb) – give courage, make brave, encourage.
- plebiscite (noun) – vote, referendum, poll.
- dire (adjective) – terrible, dreadful, appalling/horrible.
- confiscation (noun) – seizure, taking away, appropriation.
- blockade (noun) – siege; barrier, roadblock.
- vitiate (verb) – spoil, impair, destroy.
- hostile (adjective) – antagonistic/aggressive, confrontational, belligerent.
- sovereignty (noun) – authority, supremacy/domination; autonomy.
- affront (noun) – insult, offence, indignity/snub.
- pretence (noun) – fiction, falsification, deception.
- side-step (verb) – avoid, evade/dodge, escape.
- striking (noun) – something which is visible, distinct, noticeable.
- traumatic (adjective) – disturbing, shocking, distressing.
- contain (verb) – control, restrain, curb.
Note:
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Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.
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Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purpose only and they may vary in different context. Use it with the corresponding article published on the source (website) via the link provided.
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This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.
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