fortunate (FAWR tyoo nit) adj.1. lucky; having good luck; having good
fortune; 2. favorable; auspicious
- Roger was fortunateto have taken the plane just before the flight that
crashed. - Sarah was very fortunatewhen she picked the winning lottery numbers.
[fortunately adv.]
foster(FAW stir) vt.1. to carefully raise; rear; 2. to nourish; help grow or
develop; promote —adj.being treated as a certain member of the family, although
neither related nor adopted - Mickey fosteredthe colt as if it were his own child.
- Dairy farmers fostera national campaign to promote milk drinking.
- Dorothy and Al are fosterparents to three fosterchildren.
[-ed, -ing]
fracture(FRAK chir) vt.1. to break or split; to crack; 2. to disrupt; to break up
—n.1. a break or cleft; 2. a broken-off part; fragment; 3. a broken bone - The 2003 invasion of Iraq helped to fracturethe Franco-American alliance.
- Alice’s shriek fracturedthe near-complete silence.
- Matt fracturedhis ulna playing ice hockey.
- The doctor set Mike’s fracturedfinger with a splint.
- Flint knives were made by hitting two pieces of flint together in hopes of
fracturinga chip off one to form the blade.
[-d, fracturing] [Syn. break]
freedom (FREE dim) n.1. the state or quality of being free from the control of
other persons, or certain laws or regulations; 2. a right or privilege - The nations of the Americas value their freedomfrom their former
European colonizers. - Police cars on duty enjoy freedomfrom the parking regulations in the city.
- Freedomof speech and freedomof religion are just two of the rights
Americans are supposed to enjoy.
frequency(FREE kwin see) n.1. the number of times something is repeated
within a certain specified time frame; number of oscillations per time period; 2. a
repeated or repeating occurrence - When something vibrates between about 30 and 16,000 times per second,
its frequencyis within the range of normal human hearing. - Supersonic frequenciesare above the range of human hearing, while sub-
sonic frequenciesare below that range. - The frequencyof car horn honkings in Amanda’s neighborhood is about
five per hour.
116 Essential Vocabulary