Lesson 151 — Academic Word List: Lesson 1

abandon  

This word is derived from the Latin verb abando, which means “to leave,” and is related to the English word ‘abandons.’ Abandonment is the act of abandoning someone or something. A person who feels abandoned usually experiences feelings of anguish, depression, or loneliness. A similar term that has the same meaning is abandonment syndrome.    

Abandon is to voluntarily leave an area, typically a home or place of residence, without any intention of returning. Abandonment can also refer to the desertion of a child by its parents.

Abandoning something is to give it up or desert it. Abandonment can be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or even financial. Abandonment is typically used when an individual no longer cares about the thing they are abandoning. Some common ways people abandon things are by neglecting them or ceasing use of them.

Abandon is when someone leaves a place, such as their home or job, and the abandoned person has no control over where they end up. It is most often seen in child abandonment and by parents who abandon their children to pursue a life of addiction. There are many reasons for abandonment: drug addiction, depression, and poverty to name a few. To be abandoned can be devastating and traumatizing. People feel deserted, unwanted, devalued, humiliated, and vulnerable.

abstract         

The concept of an abstract is for a short summary of a longer work, highlighting the main ideas or concepts of the text.

In academic writing, an abstract is a short summary of a longer work intended to highlight the main ideas or concepts of the text.

Abstract is a word meaning a summary of a work of research, typically used in academic papers. The abstract concludes with a statement about whether or not the author’s hypothesis was supported or not by their data. It also might be used to give the scope of the study and what they hope to accomplish in this study.

The introduction provides background information on the topic under consideration, sets forth the problem area under examination, and summarizes arguments for and against positions dominant today.

The definition of the word “abstract” is a concept, idea, or feeling that can not be completely described in words. In other words, it is a complex topic. This definition is discussed in detail by using jargon that would be used in an advanced academic setting.

The term “abstract” refers to something that is characterized by impermanence, immateriality, or incomplete-ness.

An abstract definition would be the following: “the principle or quality of being temporary.

academy      

An academy is an institution of secondary education, higher learning, research, or professional training.

The academy is a place where individual’s can come to exchange ideas and thoughts about their field of study. The academy also provides access to readings, which are the texts that are not available in circulation at other research libraries, but are instead made available for academic use.

An academy is an institution of higher education, usually consisting of some combination of schools or departments. Academies are typically established by charters or some other kind of formal authorization.

The Academy is an institution for the advanced education of students after the completion of their secondary education. The Academy is a private, independent school recognized by the New York State Board of Regents and the Department of Education. The Academy is committed to academic excellence and student success.

An academy is an educational institution that offers advanced learning to students who have already completed their secondary education.

An academy is a group of people mutually supporting one another’s endeavor. It can be an institution, organization, society, company, military school, sports club or intense training program.
The word comes from the ancient Greek “akademeia” (ἀκαδημεία), which means “exercise ground”. Alternatively it can be derived from the Latin “academia” (which can also mean “love of learning”).

An academy is an institution of secondary education, typically a boarding school or seminary, with classes focused on college preparatory studies.

The word “academy” is derived from the Ancient Greek Ἀκαδημαϊκός Σύλλογος Κωνσταντινοπόλεως in Athens.

access   

Access is the process by which individuals gain entry into a building, place, or vehicle. Access requires that an individual be granted permission to cross the threshold of a particular area or location. This permission is usually granted by way of a key, code, or other means, and individuals must explicitly make it known to others that they are seeking access.

Organizations may grant access to an individual for security reasons. 

Access is the ability to visit or use a resource.

People tend to think of access as something tangible; for example, one might be able to walk onto a college campus with their ID card and access certain buildings, information on the internet, or even academic journals. However, access can be seen as intangible as well; for example, if someone who is not an employee of the school has their own keycard they can access areas that are off limits to most people.

 An individual has access to various levels of information. Some information is restricted under certain conditions, for example, what would be contained in a confidential, internal document. However, some information is only restricted if the person does not have permission to access it. A possible source of information may be a library or a database with scholarly articles that are free and open to the public.

Information that is restricted under specific conditions is called ‘sensitive’.

accommodate  

Accommodate means to make adequate for; to provide the means of storing or accommodating; to adjust or adapt to particular needs.
It is a verb, and as such it is conjugated as an -ing form. It is used as a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object. The object of the verb is what the verb is being done for or to.

An accommodation is a modification to a curriculum, academic practice, or physical environment to make it accessible for someone with a disability. There are many accommodations which can be granted based on the student’s needs.

Accommodate means to make room for someone. An example of accommodation is when you put down your things in an empty seat on the bus because you are standing next to it, and there are no other available seats on the bus.

The verb “accommodate” can be defined as the act of making adjustments to provide for needs or wants.

Quiz: Can you fill in the blanks?

accommodate, abandon, academy, access, abstract

1. _____(1) all hope ye who enter here – a warning etched above the entrance to a sinister, decrepit building. 2. The artist’s _____(2) interpretation of the landscape left the art critics divided and confused. 3. After years of hard work and dedication, she finally received an acceptance letter from the prestigious _____(3) of music. 4. Despite her repeated attempts, she couldn’t gain _____(4) to the highly guarded server room. 5. The luxurious hotel prided itself on its ability to _____(5) even the most demanding guests’ unusual requests.

Have you figured out the answers?

Check your responses by looking below:

Here are the answers to the quiz above – how did you do? Let us know in the comments section below:

1. Abandon all hope ye who enter here – a warning etched above the entrance to a sinister, decrepit building.
2. The artist’s abstract interpretation of the landscape left the art critics divided and confused.
3. After years of hard work and dedication, she finally received an acceptance letter from the prestigious academy of music.
4. Despite her repeated attempts, she couldn’t gain access to the highly guarded server room.
5. The luxurious hotel prided itself on its ability to accommodate even the most demanding guests’ unusual requests.