Building your vocabulary through The Hindu 1. The Supreme Court’s recent move to set up a Civil Services Board for the management of babu promotions and emoluments, granting fixed tenure to them, and freeing them of the obligation to obey oral orders from the executive-though a boon to honest bureaucrats who are transferred frequently-has the potential to bring within its wake more harm than good. I. Emoluments refer to the returns arising from office or employment, usually in the form of compensation or perquisites. In other words, it refers to the wages earned in exchange for some work. Emolument comes from the Latin word emolumentum, meaning gain, and was originally used to denote a miller’s fee for grinding grain. Another sentence which exemplifies the meaning of the word emolument is: The annual emolument for the CEO of Apple Inc. is one dollar. Synonyms include pay, salary, stipend, etc. 2. Reprieve from the nuclear noose. II. Reprieve means to delay or prevent something from destruction, punishment or being closed for a period of time. Reprieve, probably, is a blend of the now obsolete words repreve (to reprove) and repry (to remand, postpone). Reprieve has a situational usage. In case of a prisoner, it might be used to refer to the postponing of a death sentence. In case of a company, reprieve might be used to mean the prevention of the destruction or the closure of the company. Synonyms include save, rescue, pardon, postponement, etc. 3. ‘’The Chief Minister herself oversaw the selection of the trophy and the plaque besides the medal.” III. A plaque refers to a flat, thin piece of metal or wood with writing on it that is used especially as a reminder of something. In medical terms, it also used to refer to a thin coating that forms on teeth and contains bacteria or a change in brain tissue that occurs in Alzheimers disease. The origins of the word plaque lie in the old French word plaquer (meaning metal plate) or the middle Dutch word placke (meaning a disc). Let us have a look at another sentence that would explain the meaning of the word plaque more clearly. They gave her a plaque for her victory in the chess championship. Synonyms include badge, medal, plate, etc. 4. Normally, such a pedantic observation will find no room in a column or sport. IV. Pedantic is an adjective used to describe someone who harps too much on little errors and corrects minor details. It can also be used to mean someone who is unimaginative or for someone who likes to show off his knowledge. Pedantic most likely comes from the French word pedant or middle Italian pedante, both of which refer to a teacher. Examples exemplifying the different uses of the word pedantic: A: My room mate observes everything pedantically. B: Ali writes pedantic essays. Synonyms include fussy, pompous, erudite, etc. 5. Trott has been a stalwart of the England team, accumulating 3,763 runs at an average of 46.45 in his 49 Tests, but he was dismissed tamely in both innings by fiery paceman Mitchell Johnson. V. Stalwart is an adjective used to refer to someone who is very loyal or dedicated. It also might be used occasionally to refer to someone who is physically very strong. The word most probably has Indo-European roots and is an alteration of the Middle English word statholwierthe, which means steadfast and serviceable. Another example which clarifies the meaning of the word stalwart is: The stalwart soldiers in the army of Alexander the Great, who willingly followed him to the ends of the known world, died bravely in battle. Synonyms include bold, dauntless, heroic, etc. [All the five sentences given above have been taken from The Hindu (dated: Nov 26, 2013).]
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 11:13:17 +0000
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