- Pastel colors are mutedrather than intense.
•A muteis a person without the ability to vocalize sounds.
[-d, muting] [Syn. subdue]
nadir(NAY duhr) n. 1. lowest point; 2. the point on a celestial sphere directly
opposite the zenith - The Watergate scandal was the nadirof Richard Nixon’s career.
- The nadiron earth is in the Marianas Trench.
- The moon is at its nadirwhen it is closest to earth.
nascent(NAY sint) adj. 1. beginning to form, start, grow; 2. being born - Compared to the civilizations of Europe and Asia, that of the United States
is nascent. - A young child’s view of the world is nascentand is shaped by parents as
well as environment.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. starting]
noisome(NOI suhm) adj. 1. harmful; dangerous to one’s health; 2. having a
foul odor - Cigarette smoking is noisomein every sense of the word.
- Playing with explosives can be a very noisomepursuit.
- When purchasing fish for dinner, use your nose, and if the fish is noisome,
reject it.
[-ly adv.]
nostalgia(naws TAL juh) n. 1. a longing to return to past, happier times; 2. a
longing to return home or to familiar things; 3. old things that remind us of
the past - Nostalgiafor things past is demonstrated by some of the automobiles that
have achieved popularity at the start of the twenty-first century. - There is a big market for old dolls and other nostalgiafrom the childhood
of today’s older adults as they seek to recapture their past. - Nostalgiawas captured by Dorothy in The Wizard of Ozwith the quote,
“There’s no place like home!”
[Syn. homesickness]
nourish(NOER ish) vt. 1. to feed or sustain a plant or animal with food and
water; 2. to foster, develop, or promote a feeling, habit, relationship, and so on - Parents are responsible for nourishingtheir children physically, emotionally,
and—some might add—spiritually. - A friendship needs to be nourishedto keep it healthy and thriving.
- Celia does not wish to nourishLou’s belief that they have a future together.
novelistic(NAH vil IS tik) adj. unique; different; the first of its kind - Thomas Edison made a fortune from the novelisticidea that sounds could
be recorded on a wire. - Truly novelisticideas should be copyrighted or patented to keep them safe
from unscrupulous people.
[-ally adv.] [Syn. unique]
310 Essential Vocabulary