< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (91)

Debris (noun) 

an accumulation of fragments of rock

Landslides, mud flows and debris avalanches frequently accompany other natural

disasters such as floods and earthquakes.  

Decay (verb) 

to become or cause to become rotten or unsound; to decompose

Because of the high humidity, abundant insects, and scavenger-eating animals and birds,

an animal carcass can decay in Mississippi in just a few days. 

 

Decipher (verb) 

to make understandable

Few historians today have the capability of deciphering scrolls written in ancient

Egyptian.

Decode (verb) 

to convert a coded message into intelligible form; to discover the underlying meaning of 

It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure

of your brain develops to decode speech.  Native English speakers, For example, find it

extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin

Decorated (verb) 

to furnish with emblems of honor worn on one’s clothing, or displayed on objects

Quincy Jones is one of the most decorated musicians of all time.

Decry (verb) 

to consider or treat as small or unimportant

There are those who decry marriage as a sexist and patriarchal institution that should

be avoided at all costs. 

Deem (verb) 

to have an opinion

Any human caused blazes are to be suppressed immediately as well as any natural fires

deemed dangerous. 

Default (noun) 

a failure to pay financial debts

The trend has been to raise rates because of the increasing number of defaults among

consumers.

Deferential (adjective) 

showing or expressing respect and esteem due a superior or an elder

The Justice Department properly withheld the names and other details about hundreds of

foreigners detained in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal appeals court ruled

Tuesday. The powerful decision was deferential to the Bush administration's

arguments over continued threats to America from terrorists.

Definitive (adjective) 

serving the function of deciding or settling with finality

Two recent books are the definitive books in the area of cold reading: King of the Cold

Readers (KCR) by Bascom Jones and Red Hot Cold Reading (RHCR) by Thomas Saville,

Ph.D. and Herb Dewey.