aesthetic
4 uses
Like most veteran Everest guides, Groom believed that although it was acceptable—and, indeed, aesthetically preferable—to do without bottled oxygen when climbing on one's own, it would be extremely irresponsible to guide the peak without using it.
aesthetically = in consideration of beauty
Definition
Generally aesthetic means:related to beauty or good taste — often referring to one's appreciation of beauty or one's sense of what is beautiful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
altitude
62 uses
many of those who died had been far stronger and possessed vastly more high-altitude experience than I.
altitude = elevation
Definition
Generally altitude means:elevation (height) — typically above sea level or above the earth's surface
or:
(metaphorically) a desirable height
or:
(metaphorically) a desirable height
Word Statistics
| Book | 62 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
ambivalent
2 uses
Although she expressed some ambivalence about the invitation in a letter to Fischer in January, Hunt ultimately accepted the unpaid job and arrived in Nepal at the end of March, eager to contribute to the expedition's success.
ambivalence = mixed feelings
Definition
Generally ambivalent means:having mixed feelings about something — such as when part of you wants to do something and part of you does not
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 8 |
approximate
9 uses
Everest had killed more than 130 people since the British first visited the mountain in 1921—approximately one death for every four climbers who'd reached the summit—and that many of those who died had been far stronger and possessed vastly more high-altitude experience than I.
approximately = about (but not exactly)
Definition
Generally approximate means:almost, but not exact; or similar
Word Statistics
| Book | 9 uses |
| Library | 10 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
ascend
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
ascend the mountain
I dreamed of ascending Everest myself one day;
ascending = climbing up
Definition
Generally this sense of ascend means:to move or slope upward — sometimes figuratively as when climbing the corporate ladder
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
candid
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
your candid opinion
He candidly explained that it wasn't me he was actually interested in
candidly = with honesty and directness
Definition
Generally this sense of candid means:honest and direct
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
correspond (3 meanings)
3 meanings, 7 uses
1 —1 use as in:
corresponding time period
Over the past half decade, the traffic on all of the Seven Summits, especially Everest, has multiplied at an astonishing rate. And to meet the demand, the number of commercial enterprises peddling guided ascents of the Seven Summits, especially Everest, has multiplied correspondingly.
correspondingly = proportionately
Definition
Generally this sense of correspond means:connect or fit together by being equivalent, proportionate, or matched
(Two things are equivalent if they have the same or very similar value, purpose, or result.)
(Two things are equivalent if they have the same or very similar value, purpose, or result.)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
2 —2 uses as in:
corresponding by email
Much of the correspondence offered support and sympathy for those of us who had returned, but there was also an abundance of scathingly critical letters.
correspondence = written letters
Definition
Generally this sense of correspond means:communicate by writing letters or email
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Epil. |
3 —4 uses as in:
foreign correspondent of the paper
The other Internet correspondent on Fischer's expedition, however, was a client who intended to go all the way to the summit and file daily dispatches for NBC Interactive Media enroute.
correspondent = reporter
Definition
Generally this sense of correspondent means:a reporter — typically from a foreign country or with a particular expertise
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
descend
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
descend the mountain
...to get there I would have to descend the most exposed terrain on the entire route without the benefit of supplemental oxygen.
descend = climb down
Definition
Generally this sense of descend means:move or slope downward
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
establish (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 7 uses
1 —6 uses as in:
establish a positive tone
It had been established in 1973 after four members of a single Japanese trekking group succumbed to the altitude and died in the vicinity.†
established = created
Definition
Generally this sense of establish means:create, start, or set in [a] place
Word Statistics
| Book | 6 uses |
| Library | 25 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
2 —1 use as in:
establish that there is a need
Their best hope for getting off the mountain alive, they concluded, was to go over the top and down the well-established Southeast Ridge route, an extremely audacious plan, given the late hour, the unknown terrain, and their rapidly diminishing supply of bottled oxygen.†
established = known
Definition
Generally this sense of establish means:show or determine (cause to be recognized or figure out)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
immutable
2 uses
Mountaineering, she understood, was an essential expression of some odd immutable aspect of my personality that I could no sooner alter than change the color of my eyes.
immutable = unchangeable
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
lilt
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
an Irish lilt
Andy was a large man, over six feet tall and 200 pounds, who spoke with a sharp Kiwi lilt;†
lilt = accent
Definition
Generally this sense of lilt means:a way of speaking, singing, or making music — typically cheerful, lively or pleasing — sometimes with the pitch of the voice rising and falling
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 16 |
notorious
6 uses
After leaving the summit, fifteen minutes of cautious shuffling over a 7,000-foot abyss brought me to the notorious Hillary Step,
notorious = well known for something bad (in this case being difficult to climb)
Word Statistics
| Book | 6 uses |
| Library | 9 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
reprehensible
2 uses
Fairly or unfairly, to her derogators Pittman epitomized all that was reprehensible about Dick Bass's Popularization of the Seven Summits
reprehensible = bad and unacceptable
Definition
Generally reprehensible means:bad — deserving severe criticism
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 8 |
speculate
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
don't know, but I'll speculate
Speculation was rampant that Messner and Habeler had sucked oxygen from miniature cylinders hidden in their clothing.
speculation = guesses or theories
(editor's note: The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)
(editor's note: The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)
Definition
Generally this sense of speculate means:to think about, wonder, guess or theorize with much uncertainty
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
strata
2 uses
Late in the day on their summit push, the two Americans climbed a stratum of steep, crumbly rock-the infamous Yellow Band.
stratum = layer
(editor's note: Strata, the plural form of this word is used much more commonly than the singular form. Many Latin words that end in "um" are made plural by changing the "um" to "a"—such as stratum to strata, bacterium to bacteria, and millennium to millennia. In modern writing, changing the "um" to "ums" is also accepted for many Latin words ending in um, but not for any of those listed above.)
(editor's note: Strata, the plural form of this word is used much more commonly than the singular form. Many Latin words that end in "um" are made plural by changing the "um" to "a"—such as stratum to strata, bacterium to bacteria, and millennium to millennia. In modern writing, changing the "um" to "ums" is also accepted for many Latin words ending in um, but not for any of those listed above.)
Definition
Generally strata means:layers
or:
levels, classes, or groups into which people or other things are divided
or:
levels, classes, or groups into which people or other things are divided
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
Tibet
28 uses
The flood of Everesters therefore shifted from Nepal to Tibet, leaving hundreds of Sherpas out of work.
Tibet = an autonomous region of China; located in the Himalayas
Definition
Generally Tibet means:an autonomous region of China; located in the Himalayas
or (when the Government of Tibet in Exile and the Tibetan refugee community abroad refer to Tibet): a much larger area consisting of three traditional provinces
or (when the Government of Tibet in Exile and the Tibetan refugee community abroad refer to Tibet): a much larger area consisting of three traditional provinces
Word Statistics
| Book | 28 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
venerate
2 uses
Rob wanted to make a public statement to defend himself, but he realized that going up against such a venerated figure in the media was a no-win situation.
venerated = respected and revered
Definition
Generally venerate means:regard with feelings of respect and reverence
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |