Wednesday, December 19, 2007
XXXII: LET'S BE CALM
‘ALLEVIATE’, we saw in an earlier post, is from LEVITY, lightness of the heart. To ALLEVIATE is to LESSEN the severity, to reduce the seriousness. The following words are similar in meaning to ALLEVIATE.
ASSUAGE
AMELIORATE (improve)
SOOTHE
CONSOLE
MOLLIFY
PACIFY
PLACATE
PALLIATE
SEDATE
BECALM
All these words can appear as the ANTONYMS of ‘AGGRAVATE’ and its various forms.
We can see that, from SEDATE we get SEDATIVE. A SEDATIVE is SEDATING (pacifying) agent, just as an ASTRINGENT is a PUCKERING (contracting agent).
From PALLIATE we get PALLIATIVE. A PALLIATIVE is a PALLIATING (soothing) agent, just as an ANESTHETIC is a NUMBING (making insensitive) agent.
We can also see that from MOLLIFY, we get EMOLLIENT. An EMOLLIENT (balm) is a MOLLIFYING (soothing) agent, just as A TONIC (stimulant) is an agent of INVIGORATION (energizing).
Based on the above ideas, we get a common ANALOGY type in GRE, in which one is the agent\factor\cause of the other. Here follow a few old ANALOGIES:
{The pair in upper case was the QUESTION and the pair in lower case the ANSWER}
1. SEDATIVE: DROWSINESS
anesthetic: numbness
2. FRICTION: ABRASION
heat: vaporization
3. ASTRINGENT: CONTRACTION
anesthetic: insensibility (numbness)
4. COAGULANT: CLOTTING
emollient: consoling
5. STIMULANT: ENERGIZE
analgesic: numb
6. BACTERIA: DECOMPOSITION
yeast: fermentation
7. SEDATIVE: PACIFY
antiseptic: sterilize
8. SPONGE: ABSORB
caulk: seal
9. FOOD: NOURISH
antibodies: protect
10. ASTRINGENT: PUCKER (contraction)
spark: ignition
11. PIGMENT: COLOR
spice: flavor
12. JUGGERNAUT( crushing machine): CRUSH
quisling (an agent of treason): betray
13. EMOLLIENT: SOOTHE
dynamo: generate
14. CATALYST: PRECIPITATION
inhibitor: prevention
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment