< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (154)

Overgraze (verb) 

to feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton  to the point of damaging 

vegetation cover 

The problem is one of environmental degradation; the land is overgrazed and the

kangaroos themselves suffer pretty badly once all the food is gone for them.

Overly (verb)  

lying on or over

Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly deforms and vertically displaces

the overlying water.

Override (verb) 

occupying a more elevated or superior position; dominating

The court emphasized that race cannot be the overriding factor, but a majority

acknowledged a broad social value in encouraging all races to learn and work together.

Over-the-counter (adjective)

sold lawfully without prescription 

The names of all medicines you are currently taking, including both over-the-counter

and prescription medication as well as any dietary supplements. It is important for your

doctor to know this information in order to prescribe the medicine that will be the most

helpful. 

Overturn (verb) 

to turn or cause to turn from a vertical or horizontal position

The Vikings quickly overturned the boats and killed all but one Indian, who was able to

get away.

Overwhelmingly (adverb) 

convincingly so as to have little doubt The evidence seems to overwhelmingly state that there is indeed a critical period by

which learning must commence in order to afford the learner the chance to achieve

native like capabilities.

Owe (verb) 

on account of; as a result of, through

The scientific question is whether the chimps' abilities are homologous to human

language–that is, whether the two systems show the same basic organization owing to

descent from a single system in their common ancestor.

Painstaking (adjective) 

showing or marked by attentiveness to all aspects or details 

Paying painstaking attention to detail, French artist Lucien Rudaux was the first to

combine his artistic talents with his knowledge of astronomy.

Pale (adjective) 

of a moderately white color; lacking color

Due to the intense ultraviolet rays of the sun, the paint on the car oxidized, causing it to

change to a pale yellow. 

Paleoanthropologist (noun) 

one who studies in a branch of anthropology dealing with fossil hominids–any of a family 

(Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals comprising recent humans together with 

extinct ancestral and related forms 

The announcement was made this week by paleoanthropologist Tim White of the 

University of California at Berkeley. White, who co-led the joint U.S.-Ethiopian research 

team that made the discovery, noted that the skulls, which are between 154,000 and 

160,000 years old, are the oldest known fossils of modern humans, or Homo sapiens.