The Hindu Editorial (​​Counting matters) – Feb 28, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (​​​Counting matters) – Jan 28, 2025:

1. delimitation (noun) – the act of establishing limits or boundaries in a Treaty, Judgement or other Agreement.
2. demarcation (noun) – the physical marking of the boundary on the ground.
3. federalism/federal framework/system (noun) – a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.
4. census (noun) – an official survey, particularly of a population.
5. (political) representation (noun) – the activity of making citizens’ voices, opinions, and perspectives “present” in public policy making processes.
6. call for (phrasal verb) – require, publicly ask/necessitate, request, appeal, demand.
7. sought past tense of seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
8. stir up (phrasal verb) – give rise to, cause, produce, generate, spark off, trigger.
9. legislative (adjective) – relating to a legislature; parliamentary, legislatorial.
10. frozen (past tense) of freeze (verb) –  limiting/restrict (something from taking place).
11. parity (noun) – equality, uniformity, sameness, consistency.
12. (elected) representative (noun) – a member of a legislature (parliament/congress/council/legislative assembly); lawmaker, legislator.
13. at the cost of (phrase) – at the loss of, at the expense of.
14. indices plural of index (noun) – measure; guide, indication.
15. 84th constitutional Amendment (noun) – The 84th Amendment Act, 2001 froze the constituency boundaries till the first census after 2026, that is, at least until after 2031.
16. stipulate (verb) – formulate, lay down, frame, prescribe, promulgate.
17. inexplicably (adverb) – in a way something can not be accountable/explainable/understandable.
18. (in the normal) scheme of things (phrase) – in the way things normally/generally happen or arranged to happen (when compared with/related to other things) in a particular situation; a general view of the situation as a whole.
19. legitimate (adjective) – legal, lawful, authorized, recognized.
20. intend (verb) – aim, propose, expect, hope.
21. proportionally (adverb) – proportionately, consistently, relatively, correspondingly (in size/number/amount of something). 
22. illustrate (verb) – show, demonstrate, describe, explain, make clear, elucidate, summarize.
23. population growth rate (noun) – the average rate at which a population increases over a given period of time.
24. electorate (noun) – all the people in a country who are eligible to vote in an election.
25. held past participle of hold (verb) – conduct, organize, arrange.
26. constituency (noun) – the specific geographical area that is represented by each MP/MLA.
27. tally (noun) – total, count.
28. total fertility rate (TFR) (noun) – the average number of children a woman would give birth to during her lifetime if she were to pass through her childbearing years (15-49 years) experiencing the present day age-specific fertility rates.
29. fertility (noun) – reproductiveness, productiveness.
30. pro-rata (adjective) – a Latin term meaning “in proportion”; relating to a balanced distribution.
31. lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.
32. suggest (verb) – indicate, denote, point to, signify.
33. balance (noun) – equilibrium, stability; the distribution of power/influence in a situation.
34. intact (adjective) – not influenced; not swayed; undamaged, unspoiled, unimpaired, untouched.
35. expedite (verb) – speed up, accelerate, hasten, quicken, step up.
36. allay (verb) – reduce, diminish, decrease, lessen, ease, relieve, assuage, alleviate, mitigate, temper, moderate
37. facilitate (verb) – make easy, assist, help, aid, expedite, speed up, accelerate.
38. strive (verb) – aim, try hard, fight, make an effort, do one’s utmost, do one’s best.
39. pedestal (noun ) – platform, podium, stand, level, high table.
40. world power (noun ) – a powerful country that has a lot of influence in international politics.
41. could not afford/cannot afford/can ill afford (phrase) – if you cannot afford to do something, you must prevent it from happening because it would be embarrassing and cause problems (if it happens).

Note : 

1. 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/.

2. 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 purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (​​​Counting matters) – Jan 28, 2025: