A Word A Day

[Binoy]

Word-106 (27-04-12)

clog (verb)  [+ up/with sth; + sth up/with]
বদ্ধ/বন্ধ করা বা হওয়া;  to block sth or to become blocked
Tears clogged her throat.
Leaves are clogging (up) the drain.
The roads are clogged with holiday traffic.
The narrow streets were clogged with traffic.
Within a few years the pipes began to clog up.
Eating too much fat causes your arteries to clog (up).

clog (noun)
জুতাবিশেষ; a shoe that is made of wood and a leather
I’ll buy a new pair of clog from the store.

clogged (adjective)
আবদ্ধ বা বন্ধ; blocked
clogged pipes/drains
They are trying to clear the clogged passage.

clog dance
ক্লগ জুতা পায়ে নৃত্য; a dance that is performed by people wearing clogs
I witnessed a show of clog dance performed by the tribal people.

[Binoy]

Word-107 (28-04-12)

clout (verb)
হাত বা ভারি কিছু দিয়ে আঘাত করা; to hit someone or something with the hand or with a heavy object
He clouted the table with a hammer.
Kalam clouted me smartly across the side of the head.

clout (noun)
আঘাত বা ঝাকি; a blow with the hand or a hard object
I gave him a clout while he was sleeping.
If the photocopier stops working, just give it a clout.

clout (noun)
শক্তি বা প্রভাব; power and influence over other people or events
political/financial clout
I knew his opinion carried a lot of clout with them.
The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.

[Binoy]

Word-108 (29-04-12)

clown (noun)
ভাঁড়; an entertainer who wears amusing clothes, or someone who behaves foolishly
He acts as a clown in the circus party.
He is no more than a clown.
Rubel was always the class clown.
What do those clowns in the government think they are doing?

clown (verb) [around]
ভাঁড়ামি করা;  to act stupidly, often to make other people laugh
Don’t clown like that.
He made a grimace and clowned around.

clownish (adjective)
ভাঁড়ামিপূর্ণ;  like a clown; silly
Please stop you clownish activity.

[Binoy]

Word-109 (30-04-12)

cluster (noun)
একই জিনিসের সমারোহ; গুচ্ছ; a group of things of the same type that grow or appear close together
a cluster of stars
a cluster of spectators
a little cluster of houses
a consonant cluster
The plant bears its flowers in clusters.
Have a look at the cluster of galaxies in this photograph.
There was a cluster of fans around him, asking for autographs.

cluster (verb) [+ together/around]
একত্রে সমবেত হওয়া; জড়ো হওয়া; to come together in a small group or groups
The children clustered together in the corner of the room.
The doctors clustered anxiously around his bed.
People clustered around the noticeboard to read the exam results.

cluster bomb
গুচ্ছ বোমা; an explosive device which throws out smaller bombs when it explodes
During the war, Iraq was attached by cluster bomb.

[Binoy]

Word-110 (01-05-12)

coarse (adjective)
মোটা; স্থূল; রুক্ষ; রুঢ়; rough; rude and offensive
coarse hands/linen
a coarse joke
coarse language
coarse sand/salt/hair
coarse manners/laughter

coarsely (adverb)
স্থূলভাবে; রুঢ়ভাবে; in a coarse way
coarsely chopped onions
He laughed coarsely at her.

coarseness (noun)
স্থূলতা; রুঢ়তা; the state of being coarse
The coarseness of his joke distracted my mind.
She can't abide coarseness and stupidity.

Note: The word ‘coarse’ must not be confused with the word ‘course’ which means ‘path’ or ‘academic subject’.

[Binoy]

Word-111 (02-05-12)

coerce (verb) [+ sb into sth / into doing sth]
জোর করে কিছু করানো; to persuade someone forcefully to do something which they are unwilling to do
They were coerced into negotiating a settlement.
The court heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession.

coercion (noun)
বলপ্রয়োগ; the action of making sb do sth that they do not want to do, using force
He claimed he had only acted under coercion.
He claimed the police had used coercion to illegally obtain the statement.

coercive (adjective)
বলপ্রয়োগজাত;  using force to persuade people to do things which they are unwilling to do
coercive measures/tactics
The president relied on the coercive powers of the military.

[Binoy]

Word-112 (03-05-12)

cognitive (adjective)
বৌদ্ধিক; connected with thinking or conscious mental processes
Some of her cognitive functions have been impaired.
cognitive behaviour/development
cognitive therapy/psychology

cognition (noun)
বৌদ্ধিকতা; the process by which knowledge and understanding is developed in the mind
a book on human learning, memory and cognition
Recently the author identified four unique aspects of human cognition.

Phrases:

cognitive psychology
বৌদ্ধিক মনস্তত্ত্ব; the study of how people think
She is studying cognitive psychology in a university.

cognitive therapy
বৌদ্ধিক চিকিতসা; a form of treatment used to change someone's habitual patterns of thinking when these thoughts are damaging that person
She used cognitive therapy on her client to try to inhibit those negative thoughts.

[Binoy]

Word-113 (04-05-12)

collide (verb) [+ with sth/sb; over sth] [syn. crash]
সংঘর্ষে আসা; (especially of moving objects) to hit something violently
The two vans collided at the crossroads.
It was predicted that a comet would collide with one of the planets.
The car and the van collided head-on in thick fog.
The car collided head-on with the van.
As he fell, his head collided with the table.
They regularly collide over policy decisions.

collision (noun) [+ with sb/sth; between/of A and B]

1. সংঘর্ষ; hitting each other with force;
a mid-air collision
a head-on collision
a collision between two trains
The cyclist was in collision with a bus.
His car was in collision with a motorbike.
Selim was injured in a collision with another player.
There has been a collision on the southbound stretch of the motorway.
Two drivers were killed in a head-on collision between a car and a taxi last night.

2. সংঘাত; তীব্র মতানৈক্য; strong disagreement
There was a collision of interests/opinions.
a collision between two opposing points of view
In his work we see the collision of two different traditions.

Phrase:

be on a collision course
সংঘাতে লিপ্ত;  in a situation of serious disagreement or fight
I was on a collision course with my boss over the sales figures.
All attempts at diplomacy have broken down and the two states now appear to be on a collision course.

[Binoy]

Word-114 (05-05-12)

comet (noun)
ধুমকেতু; a mass of ice and dust that moves around the sun and looks like a bright star with a tail
It sparkled and did not move, so it couldn't be a comet.
The planet was hit by a comet.
The moon and a comet was on a collision course.
Scientists say the excess heavy nitrogen could have come from a comet.
Halley's Comet is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years.
Comets in space are really marvelous things to observe.
Give me some more facts about comet.
Provide me with a list of famous comets.
He ran towards me like a comet.
Nazrul appeared in the scene of Bangla literature like a comet.

[Binoy]

Word-115 (06-05-12)

commence (verb)  [+ ing form of verb]
শুরু করা বা হওয়া; to begin or start
We will commence building work in August of next year.
Shall we let the meeting commence, gentlemen?
The meeting is scheduled to commence at noon.
She commenced her medical career in 1956.
The day commenced with a welcome from the principal.
I will be on leave during the week commencing 15 February.
Unfortunately, he commenced speaking before all the guests had finished eating.

commencement (noun)
1. শুরু; the beginning of something
the commencement of the financial year
Would passengers please put out cigarettes before the commencement of the flight?

2 ডিগ্রি প্রদান অনুষ্ঠান; a ceremony at which students formally receive their degrees; graduation
She is going to attend the commencement next month.

[Binoy]

Word-116 (07-05-12)

commend (verb) [+ sb for sth / for doing sth; + sb on sth / on doing sth]
1. প্রশংসা করা; to praise sb/sth, especially publicly
The judge commended her for/on her bravery.
For a low-budget film, it has much to commend it.
It says on the back cover of the book 'highly commended'.
She was commended on her handling of the situation.
His measures were highly commended by the authorities.

2. সুপারিশ করা; to recommend [sb/sth to sb]
The movie has little to commend it.
She is an excellent worker and I commend her to you without reservation.

commendable (adjective)
প্রশংসনীয়; deserving praise
commendable efforts/behaviour/bravery
Her honesty is really commendable.

commendably (adverb)
প্রশংসনীয়ভাবে; in a commendable way
a commendably courageous act
The designs are commendably innovative.

commendation (noun)
1. প্রশংসা; formal praise
an act of great commendation
Several of the firefighters received commendation for their bravery.

2. সম্মান; an honour such as a prize given to someone for something admirable
a commendation for bravery
He was very proud when his daughter received a commendation for her achievement.

[Binoy]

Word-117 (08-05-12)

commute   (verb)
1. যাতায়াত বা গমনাগমন করা; to make the same journey regularly between work and home
It's exhausting commuting from Uttara to Motijheel every day.
She commutes from Gazipur to Dhaka every day.
He spent that year commuting between Dhaka and Narayanganj.
I live within commuting distance of Chittagong.
People are prepared to commute long distances if they are desperate for work.

2. অদলবদল করা; to change one thing into another
People used to believe that you could commute base metals into gold.

3. পরিশোধ পদ্ধতি পরিবর্তন করা; to exchange one type of payment for a different type
I think I'll commute my life insurance into an annuity.

4. অপেক্ষাকৃত লঘু শাস্তি নির্ধারণ করা; to change a punishment to one that is less severe
Her sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.

commute (noun)
যাতায়াত বা গমনাগমন; the act of commuting
half an hour commute into Old Dhaka
It's at least an hour's commute to work.
I have only a short commute to work.

commuter (noun)
যাতায়াতকারী; someone who regularly travels between work and home
a commuter train
the commuter belt
The train was packed with commuters.

commutation (noun)
1. লঘু শাস্তি নির্ধারণ; the act of making a punishment less severe
a commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment
His execution became certain when the state board refused his request for commutation.

2. পরিশোধ পদ্ধতি পরিবর্তন করা; replacing one method of payment with another
The commutation from yearly to monthly premium was effective from June.

commuter train (noun)
স্বল্প দূরত্বে যাতায়াতের ট্রেন; a train service especially for people travelling between home and work
There are regular commuter trains between Dhaka and Narayanganj.

[Binoy]

Word-118 (09-05-12)

compel (verb)  [+ to infinitive]
1. বাধ্য করা; to force someone to do something
As a school boy, he was compelled to wear uniform.
The new circumstances compelled a change in policy.
The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children.
Last year ill health compelled his retirement.

2. বিশেষ প্রতিক্রিয়া জাগানো; to produce particular reaction
Over the years her work has compelled universal admiration and trust.
He spoke with an authority that compelled the attention of the whole crowd.

compelling (adjective)
1. খুব জোরালো; very strong
compelling evidence
a compelling need/desire
It's a fairly compelling argument for going.
There is no compelling reason to believe him.

2. দারুণ উত্তেজনাকর ও মজাদার; very exciting and interesting
a compelling story
I found the whole film very compelling.
Her latest book makes compelling reading.

compelled (adjective)  [+ to infinitive]
বাধ্য; forced in some way
He felt compelled to report the incident.
I feel compelled to write and tell you how much I enjoyed your book.

compulsion (noun)  [+ to infinitive]
বাধ্যবাধকতা; a force that makes one do something
He seems to be driven by some kind of inner compulsion.
We were under no compulsion to attend.
Don't feel under any compulsion to take me with you.
You are under no compulsion to pay immediately.
There are no compulsions on students to attend classes.

[Binoy]

Word-119 (10-05-12)

compensate (verb) [+ for sth]
1. আর্থিক ক্ষতিপূরণ দেওয়া; to pay someone money in exchange for something that has been lost or damaged or for some inconvenience
Victims of the crash will be compensated for their injuries.
Her lawyer say she should be compensated for the suffering she had been caused.

2. ক্ষতি পুষিয়ে দেওয়া; to provide sth good to balance or reduce the bad effects of damage, loss, etc.
Nothing can compensate for the loss of a loved one.
Nothing will ever compensate for his lost childhood.
His enthusiasm more than compensates for his lack of experience.
I took her swimming to compensate for having missed out on the cinema.
We were late and I was driving fast to compensate.

compensation (noun) [+ for sth]
1. আর্থিক ক্ষতিপূরণ; money that is paid to someone in exchange for something that has been lost or damaged or for some inconvenience
a compensation claim/package
to claim/award/receive compensation
to pay compensation for injuries at work
to receive Tk. 1,00,000 in compensation.
You should seek compensation for the loss.
She received Tk. 4,00,000 in compensation for a lost eye.

2. ক্ষতি পোষানো; something that makes you feel better when you have suffered something bad
I have to spend three months of the year away from home, but there are compensations like the chance to meet new people.
Free food was no compensation for a very boring evening.
I wish I were young again, but getting older has its compensations.

compensatory (adjective)
ক্ষতিপূরণমূলক; relating to compensation
He received a compensatory payment of Tk. 2,00,000.
He was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages.

[Binoy]

Word-120 (11-05-12)

competence/competency (noun) [ant. incompetence] [+ in sth; + in doing sth]
1. দক্ষতা; the ability to do something well
managerial competencies
Her competence as a teacher is unquestionable.
He reached a reasonable level of competence in his English.
The syllabus lists the knowledge and competences required at this level.

2. ক্ষমতা; the power that a court, an organization or a person has to deal with sth
outside one’s area of competence
The judge has to act within the competence of the court.

competent (adjective) [ant. incompetent]
1. দক্ষ; able to do something well
a competent secretary/horse-rider/cook
He’s very competent in his work.
Make sure the firm is competent to carry out the work.
I wouldn't say he was brilliant but he is competent at his job.

2. ক্ষমতাবান; having the power to decide sth
a competent source
The case was referred to a competent authority.

competently (adverb)
দক্ষতার সাথে; in a competent way
to perform competently
I thought she played the role very competently.