suppress (suh PRES) vt. 1. to subdue; put down; quell; crush; 2. to keep from
appearing; 3. to check or stop; keep back; restrain
- The Chinese government’s tanks suppressedthe protest in Tiananmen
Square. - The plan of the rock group to appear onstage was suppressedby the theater’s
owners who feared a riot. - When Diane saw the kindergartener take a melted ice-cream bar from her
pocket after getting off the school bus, she suppressedher urge to laugh.
[-ed, -ing]
surfeit (SOER fit) n. 1. excess; too great a supply; 2. pigging out; 3. nausea or
discomfort resulting from overindulgence —vt.to feed or supply to fullness or
excess; to satiate - Each year, American farmers produce a surfeitof wheat.
- Brad had to loosen his belt, having eaten a surfeitof shrimp from the
appetizer platters at Rose’s wedding. - Ian felt surfeitfrom having drunk too many beers on an otherwise empty
stomach. - The wedding feast surfeitedevery one of the 103 guests.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. satiate]
surreptitious (SOER ep TISH is) adj. 1. clandestine; done in a secret or stealthy
way; 2. acting in a secret or stealthy way - The guests to Joanne’s birthday celebration all received surreptitiousinvita-
tions so as not to spoil the surprise. - The concealment of the Greek soldiers inside the Trojan horse had to be
surreptitiousso the Trojans would not suspect anything. - For those of you planning a prison break, it is a good idea to keep your
planssurreptitious(wink, wink!).
[-ly adv.] [Syn. secret, clandestine]
susceptible (suh SEP ti bl) adj. easily affected or emotionally moved; sensitive
in nature; easily influenced - Some children are very susceptibleto ear infections.
- Most men are susceptibleto the appeal of a teary-eyed woman.
- Some people who might not give you the time of day are still susceptibleto
an appeal to their better natures.
[susceptibly adv., susceptibility* n.]
sustain(sus TAYN) vt. 1. to keep up; maintain; prolong; 2. to provide food and
sustenance to; 3. to carry the weight and/or burden of; 4. to encourage - The right pedal on a piano is used to sustaina note long after the key has
been released. - It takes a lot of puppy chow to sustaina growing St. Bernard puppy.
220 Essential Vocabulary