Unit 120

decimate / desiccate / dissipate / desecrate

decimate v. （严重地）破坏 (to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.)) /ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/

• The bombing campaign was a success because it decimated their opponent's forces, reducing their troops by a factor of ten.

desiccate v. 弄干，使脱水 (to dry up) /ˈdɛsɪkeɪt/

• The glue desiccated quickly after we forgot to put the lid on the bottle.

dissipate v. 使...消散 (to cause (something) to spread out and disappear) /ˈdɪsɪpeɪt/

• The whorls of smoke curled into the air then dissipated into nothing.

desecrate v. 玷污，亵渎 (to treat as not sacred) /ˈdɛsɪkreɪt/

• In 2001, Taliban troops used dynamite to desecrate Bamiyan's massive Buddha sculptures.

peripheral / peripatetic

peripheral adj. 次要的 (not relating to the main or most important part) / pəˈrɪf(ə)r(ə)l/

• Ryan helped win the game by controlling the peripheral action, ensuring that the ball remained in center court.

adj. 周围的，边缘的 (of or relating to the area that is to the side of the area you are looking at)

• Isla's excellent peripheral vision picked up a blur of motion that turned out to be a child running into the road.

peripatetic adj. 巡游的 (itinerant) /ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk/

• Aristotelian philosophers are also known as peripatetics by virtue of learning their discipline while walking around their school's courtyard.

avid / amid

avid adj. 非常渴望的，贪婪的 (desirous to the point of greed) /ˈavɪd/

• In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum's avid desire for the ring led to his downfall.

amid prep. 在……之中 (in or into the middle of (something)) / əˈmɪd/

• Horace sat in the center of the room, amid his classmates.

arid / acrid

arid adj. 干旱的 (very dry; having very little rain or water) /ˈarɪd/

• Cactus plants need very little water because they are adapted to grown in arid, desert regions.

acrid adj, 尖酸刻薄的 (deeply or violently bitter) /ˈakrɪd/

• Keith had to hold his nose to protect it from the acrid odor emanating from the burnt out building.