Getting Oriented
The Latin word orientem, meaning “the rising sun” or
“the east,” gave us the historical name for the world’s
eastern lands: the Orient. The Occident refers to the west,
from the Latin occidentem (“sunset”). Things such as winds
and auroras are boreal from the north and austral from the
south—hence the name of that down-under continent.
- starboard (a) ship’s
right side. Looking out
over the ark’s starboard,
Noah scanned the hori-
zon, hoping to spot land. - transpose (c) move
to another place. Kyle’s
novel is a retelling of
Hamlet, transposed to
modern-day England. - nether (a) down low.
“Why is my phone always
lost in the nether reaches
of my purse?” Rachel
complained. - anterior (c) in the front.
“I see that you’ve been
flossing your anterior
teeth, but you need to pay
attention to your molars,”
said Dr. Kim. - juxtapose (b) put
side by side. When you
juxtapose the identical
Vocabulary Ratings
9 & below: intermediate
10–12: ascendant
13–15: tip-toptwins, it’s impossible
to tell them apart.- sinistral (c)
left-handed. Did you know
that the United States
has had just eight sinistral
presidents? - periphery (c) outer
edges. My puppy is a
bit shy—she tends to
linger at the periphery
of the dog park. - apex (b) uppermost
point. The Hollywood
actress had reached the
apex of fame by age 18. - aweigh (b) off the
bottom. “Anchors aweigh,
boys!” the captain
shouted as his crew
prepared to set sail. - egress (b) exit.
Are you sure this hedge
maze has an egress? - recede (c) move back.
When the floodwaters
recede from our town,
the cleanup will begin.- laterally (a) sideways.
Good basketball players
must be able to move well
laterally as well as down
the court.
13. polestar (b) North
Star. “Once I catch sight
of the polestar, I can
get my bearings again,”
muttered the lost hiker. - adjacent (b)
neighboring. The sisters
lived in adjacent houses
on Chestnut Drive for
more than 50 years. - abaft (a) to the rear of.
The private jet has a ritzy
master suite abaft the
main cabin.
Word Power
ANSWERS
126 july/august 2019
Reader’s Digest
sirichai^ puangsuwan/shutterstock