obese
Pronunciation: O-'bEs
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin obesus, from ob- against + esus, past participle of edere to eat -- more at OB-, EAT
: excessively fat (過分肥胖)
Example: Now over 58 million Americans are obese.
epidemic
Pronunciation: "e-p&-'de-mik
Function: adjective
Etymology: French épidémique, from Middle French, from epidemie, n., epidemic, from Late Latin epidemia, from Greek epidEmia visit, epidemic, from epidEmos visiting, epidemic, from epi- + dEmos people -- more at DEMAGOGUE
1 : affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time (流行的)
<typhoid was epidemic>
2 a : excessively prevalent (過分流行的)
b : exciting similar emotions or conduct in others (讓別人感到興奮的表情或行為)
<epidemic laughter>
3 : of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic
<the practice had reached epidemic proportions>
Example: Buying goods on the installment plan has become epidemic in recent years.
muscular
Pronunciation: 'm&s-ky&-l&r
Function: adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or constituting muscle (由肌肉組成的)
b : of, relating to, or performed by the muscles (由肌肉完成的)
2 : having well-developed musculature (肌肉發達的)
3 a : of or relating to physical strength : BRAWNY (體力充沛的)
b : having strength of expression or character : VIGOROUS (表達清晰或有個性的)
<muscular prose>
Example: Leslie is a muscular man.
disease
Pronunciation: di-'zEz
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English disese, from Middle French desaise, from des- dis- + aise ease
1 obsolete : TROUBLE (麻煩)
2 : a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning : SICKNESS, MALADY (使植物或者動物機能衰退的條件 疾病)
3 : a harmful development (as in a social institution) (社會制度有害的發展)
Example: Most diseases could be wiped out.
propagate
Pronunciation: 'pr?-p&-"gAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -gat·ed; -gat·ing
Etymology: Latin propagatus, past participle of propagare to set slips, propagate, from propages slip, offspring, from pro- before + pangere to fasten -- more at PRO-, PACT
transitive senses
1 : to cause to continue or increase by sexual or asexual reproduction (有性/無性繁殖)
2 : to pass along to offspring (繁衍后代)
3 a : to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area : EXTEND (擴展，延伸)
b : to foster growing knowledge of, familiarity with, or acceptance of (as an idea or belief) : PUBLICIZE (宣傳)
c : to transmit (as sound or light) through a medium (通過媒體傳播)
intransitive senses
1 : to multiply sexually or asexually (有性/無性繁殖)
2 : INCREASE, EXTEND (增加，擴展)
3 : to travel through space or a material -- used of wave energy (as light, sound, or radio waves) (波的傳播)
Example: We should propagate the company culture.
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