A Word A Day

[Binoy]

Word-53 (05-03-12)

barbaric/barbarous (adjective)
বর্বর/বর্বরোচিত; extremely cruel and unpleasant
a barbaric act/custom/ritual
barbaric acts of violence
The way these animals are killed is barbaric.
She found the idea of killing animals for pleasure barbaric.
the barbarous treatment of these prisoners of war
His murder was an outrageous and barbarous act.
How can they forgive such barbarous behavior?

Derived words:

barbarically (adverb)
বর্বরোচিতভাবে; in a barbaric way
barbarically committed crimes against humanity
The kidnappers treated with the person barbarically.

barbarism/barbarity (noun)
বর্বরতা; extremely cruel and unpleasant behavior
the barbarism of battle
He witnessed some appalling acts of barbarism during the war.
This barbarity must cease!
The dictatorship has been responsible for countless barbarities.

barbarian (noun)
আশিক্ষিত ও অসংস্কৃত লোক; বর্বর ব্যক্তি; a person with little education who has no interest in art and culture
You the little wretched barbarian!
How can you call those barbarians your friends?

[jas_fluidm]

Important post for all

[nusrat-diu]

Sir, it's a great way to learn new words. I'll tell my students to follow the link. Thanks for your initiative.

[Binoy]

Thanks Nusrat and others for nice cooperation. Good luck!

[Binoy]

Word-54 (06-03-12)

bargain (noun) [with somebody]

1. পারস্পরিক সহযোগিতার চুক্তি বা মতৈক্য; an agreement between two or more people to do sth for each other
Finally the two sides struck a bargain.
"I'll tidy the kitchen if you clean the car." "OK, it's a bargain."
The management and employees eventually struck/made a bargain.
He and his partner had made a bargain to tell each other everything.
I’ve done what I promised and I expect you to keep your side of the bargain.

2. কম মূল্যের পন্য; something on sale at a lower price than its true value
The car was a bargain at that price.
This coat was half-price - a real bargain.
I picked up a few good bargains in the sale.
The airline regularly offers last-minute bookings at bargain prices.

bargain (verb) [with sb about/over/for sth]
দর কষাকষি করা; to argue for an agreement
He said he wasn’t prepared to bargain.
Unions bargain with employers for better rates of pay each year.
I realized that by trying to gain security I had bargained away my freedom.
In the market dealers were bargaining with growers over the price of coffee.

bargaining (noun)
দামদর নিয়ে আলাপ-আলোচনা; discussion of prices, conditions, etc. to reach an agreement that is acceptable; negotiation
wage bargaining
After much hard bargaining we reached an agreement.
Exporters are in a strong bargaining position at the moment.

Phrases and idioms:

in(to) the bargain
অতিরিক্ত তথ্য; in addition to other facts previously mentioned
Volunteers learn a lot and enjoy themselves into the bargain.
He's intelligent, witty, a loving husband, and an excellent cook into the bargain.

bargain for/on sth
আশা বা অনুমান করা; to expect or be prepared for something
We hadn't bargained on such a long wait.
I hadn’t bargained on them being here.
I didn’t bargain on finding them here as well.
We hadn’t bargained for this sudden change in the weather.
The strength of the opposition was rather more than she'd bargained for.
When he agreed to answer a few questions, he got more than he bargained for.

bargain sth away
বিনিময়ে কিছু না নিয়ে ছেড়ে দেওয়া; to give sth away and not get sth of equal value in return
They felt that their leaders had bargained away their freedom.

bargaining power
কোনোকিছু পাওয়ার ক্ষমতা; the ability of a person or group to get what they want
Rising unemployment has diminished the bargaining power of people with jobs.

bargain hunter
সস্তা জিনিসের অনুসন্ধানকারী; a person who is looking for cheap goods
He is a real bargain hunter.
The sales had started and the bargain hunters were out in force.

bargain basement
জাহাজে সস্তায় নিনিসপত্র বিক্রয়ের কক্ষ; an underground room in a shop where items are sold at reduced prices
bargain-basement facilities
Jalal manages to buy all his clothes at bargain-basement prices.

bargaining chip
বিনিময় পন্য; something which someone wants in lieu of something else
Missiles were used as a bargaining chip in negotiations for economic aid.

[Binoy]

Word-55 (07-03-12)

behold (verb)
দেখা; to see or look at
Her face was a joy to behold.
The scene was a wonder to behold.
They beheld a bright star shining in the sky.
These images are simply wonderful to behold.
The new bridge is an incredible sight to behold.
The freelance economy is an amazing thing to behold.
Behold a few glimpses of the amazing stuff they're doing.

Derived word:

beholder (noun)
দর্শক; one who sees sth
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I was a mere beholder of the incident.
Everything on earth is observed by the divine beholder.

[jas_fluidm]

Cleave means separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument and also come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together.
Surprisingly it's both meaning are antonyms of each other.
related words are cling, split, adhere, stick. 

[Binoy]

Yes, it is true. The word 'cleave' has two opposite meanings. As a single word, cleave means to divide or separate. In phrase 'cleave to something' it means to hold or stick to something. But the second use is mostly literary and rare. There are some other words in English like this. One is 'dust'. As a noun it means the powder of dry dust. But as a verb it means to remove dust from something as well as to put dust on something. How interesting!

[Binoy]

Word-56 (08-03-12)

bewilder (verb)
হতবুদ্ধি করা; to confuse, puzzle or perplex
These shifting attitudes bewilder me.
The instructions completely bewildered me.
There was enough smoke in the air to bewilder anyone.
She was totally bewildered by his sudden change of mood.
Together they manage to excite and bewilder practically all concerned.

Derived words:

bewildered (adjective)
হতভম্ব; confused
A bewildered man
bewildered public mind
He turned around, with a bewildered look on his face.
Arriving in a strange city at night, I felt alone and bewildered.

bewildering (adjective)
হতবুদ্ধিকর; confusing and difficult to understand
There is a bewildering variety of software available.
The college offers a bewildering range/array of courses.
He gave me directions to his house, but I found them utterly bewildering.

bewilderingly (adverb)
হতবুদ্ধিকরভাবে; in a bewildering way
A bewilderingly mischievous smile
The question is bewilderingly difficult.
All the houses looked bewilderingly similar.

bewilderment (noun)
হতবুদ্ধিকর অবস্থা; confusion
a situation of bewilderment
I looked at the starry sky in bewilderment.
As he walked through the door, she stared at him in utter bewilderment.

[sethy]

Very good effort. Your effort help us to know the new word. I think it is helpful for all. Thanks

[Binoy]

Thanks Sethy, for your encourating comment. The more we learn new words, the more we become confident in using English. Good luck!

[Binoy]

Word-57 (09-03-12)

bias (noun) [sb/sth towards/against/in favour of sb/sth]

1. পক্ষপাত; (undue) preference towards something
accusations of political bias in news
The course has a strong practical bias.
She showed a scientific bias at an early age.
The government has accused the media of bias.
There was clear evidence of a strong bias against her.
Reporters must be impartial and not show political bias.
Some institutions still have a strong bias against women.
The radio station was said to have a strong left-wing bias.
There was a clear racial bias in the selection of candidates.
The teacher seems to have a bias towards the girls in her class.
Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias.
This is a clear example of the bias found in historical accounts of the war.
There has been a slight bias in favor of employing foreign graduates in the company.
Have you noticed any bias in the reporting of Bangladesh situation in the international media?

2. কাপড়ে কোনাকুনি দিক; a direction at an angle across the threads of woven material
bias-cut cloth
The skirt is cut on the bias.
The dresses in his new winter collection are all cut on the bias.

Derived words:

bias (verb)
পক্ষপাতিত্ব করা; to unfairly influence somebody’s opinions or decisions
The newspapers have biased people against her.
The judge ruled that the information should be withheld on the grounds that it would bias the jury against the accused.

biased/biassed (adjective) [ant. unbiased]
পক্ষপাতদুষ্ট; showing an unreasonable like or dislike for a person based on personal opinions
a biased jury/witness
biased information/sources/press reports
a school biased towards music and art
A teacher cannot afford to be biased in his/her assessment.
The newspapers gave a very biased report of the meeting.
I think she's beautiful but then I'm biased since she's my daughter.

[Binoy]

Word-58 (10-03-12)

bigot (noun)
অন্ধবিশ্বাসী ব্যক্তি; a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs and who thinks that anyone who does not have the same beliefs is wrong
a religious/racial/political bigot
Anyone can be a bigot, in any context.
It is a big shame to be a bigot these days.
He was known to be a loud-mouthed, opinionated bigot.
Many of his political opponents consider him a racist bigot.
Obviously this writer is just another arrogant bigot full of himself.

Derived words:

bigoted (adjective)
অন্ধবিশ্বাসী; showing strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions and a refusal to change them
a bigoted person/thought
bigoted comments/views/ideas
She wrote her bigoted notions for the rest of us to read.
The actions of a bigoted policemen should not be taken as representative.
She's so bigoted that she refuses to accept anyone who doesn't think like her.

bigotry (noun)
অন্ধবিশ্বাস; the state of feeling, or the act of expressing, strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions
religious/racial/political bigotry
We laughed at his bigotry.
A world without bigotry will be a world of peace.
His bigotry irritated his friends and family members.
She recognized that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong.

[Binoy]

Word-59 (11-03-12)

biography (noun)
জীবনী; the life story of a person written by someone else
The biography was a bit of a rush job.
The biography is an attempt to uncover the inner man.
He wrote a biography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Her biography revealed that she was not as rich as everyone thought.
This biography offers a few glimpses of his life before he became famous.
The biography is woven from the many accounts which exist of things she did.

Derived words:

biographer (noun)
জীবনীকার; a person who writes biography
Boswell was Dr Johnson's biographer.
A biographer should be truthful to facts.
The president has decided to appoint a biographer to write on his life.

biographical (adjective)
জীবনীমূলক; relating to biography
a biographical sketch of William Shakespeare
The film is based on his biological accounts.
I need some biographical information for records.
There was a biographical note about the author on the back of the book.

autobiography
আত্মজীবনী; life story written by a person himself
An autobiography of a famous writer
In his old age, he has decided to write his autobiography.
His autobiography was published after his death.

Note: Biography of a person is written by someone else while autobiography is written by the person himself.

[Binoy]

Word-60 (12-03-12)

blaze (verb)

তীব্রভাবে জ্বলা বা আলোক ছড়ানো; to burn brightly and strongly
The garden blazed with color.
He rushed back into the blazing house.
A huge fire was blazing in the fireplace.
Isaac's eyes suddenly blazed with anger.
The sun was blazing down that afternoon.
The sun blazed down from a clear blue sky.
Firefighters are still trying to control the blaze.
The fire crews had problems fighting the blaze.
Within minutes the whole building was blazing.
Firefighters took action immediately to stop the blaze spreading.

Derived words:

blaze (noun)
প্রজ্জ্বলন বা দীপ্তি; a large strong fire
the bright blaze of the sun
a blaze of lights in the city centre
Five people died in the blaze.
Dry wood makes a good blaze.
The gardens are a blaze of colour.
They got married in a blaze of publicity.
Firefighters took two hours to control the blaze.

blazing (adjective)
প্রজ্জ্বলিত বা প্রচণ্ড; very bright, hot, powerful or fierce
blazing heat
a blazing hot day
We quickly grew tired in the blazing sunshine.
They used to have some blazing rows over money.
She had a blazing row with Manik and stormed out of the house.

ablaze (adjective) [after verb]
জ্বলন্ত বা উজ্জ্বল; burning
The ballroom was ablaze with lights.
The field was ablaze with poppies and wild flowers.
The house was ablaze and the flames could be seen for miles around.

Phrases/idioms:

blaze up
জ্বলে ওঠা বা রেগে যাওয়া; to suddenly start burning or become very angry
The furnace suddenly blazed up.
He just blazed up to see his opponent.

blaze away [about gun]
গুলি ছোড়া; to fire continuous
Blaze away right now!
In the distance machine guns were blazing.

blaze with sth [about eye]
রাগান্বিত দেখানো; look extremely angry
Her eyes were blazing with fury.
His face was blazing with excitement.

blaze sth across/all over sth [about news or information]
ব্যপকভাবে জানানো; to make widely known
The media blazed the news across the country.
The story was blazed all over the daily papers.

blaze a trail
সর্বপ্রথম কিছু করা; to do something that has never been done before
Elvis Presley blazed a trail in pop music.
The department is blazing a trail in the field of laser surgery.

a blaze of sth
শক্তিশালী বা লক্ষ্যযোগ্য কোনোকিছু; something that has a sudden very powerful or noticeable effect
a blaze of glory
a blaze of anger/passion/hate
The garden is a blaze of color in autumn.
His book was launched in a blaze of publicity.

go to blazes  
কাউকে বেরিয়ে যেতে বলা; used to tell someone to go away
Go to blazes!
Thanks to your stupidity, why don’t you go to blazes?

like blazes
খুব কঠোর বা দ্রুত; very hard; very fast
He has worked like blazes.
He has accomplished the task like blazes.

what the blazes...?  
রাগের প্রকাশ ঘটাতে বলা হয়; used to give force to something you feel angry about
What the blazes have you done?
What the blazes did he do that for?