associate (uh SOH shee ayt for vt.,uh soh SHEE itfor n. and adj.) vt.1. to con-
nect; combine; join together; 2. to bring a person into a relationship (friendship,
partnership, etc.); 3. to connect mentally —n.1. somebody with whom one is con-
nected, such as a partner, friend, fellow worker, etc.; 2. a member of some group,
firm, society, etc. with less than full status; 3. anything joined to some other thing
—adj.1. joined with others in some kind of work; 2. of less than full status; 3. con-
nected; accompanying
- Barry and Bob have chosen to associateand form The Killer Bees—a com-
pany that will make buzzers. - For their advertising needs, The Killer Bees have decided to associatewith
Bell Star and Associates. - I often associatepeanut butter with jelly; don’t you?
- The non–chief justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are associatejustices.
- Betty and Veronica are associatesin a certain comic book.
- Jim earned an associatedegree from County College.
- Barry is a sales associateat a major appliance store.
[-d, -ciating]
assume (uh SOOM oruh SYOOM) vt.1. to put on or take on the appearance, job,
form, etc. of; 2. to grab; usurp; 3. to personally undertake; 4. to take for granted; 5.
to feign; pretend to have - When Jodi put on the costume, she assumedthe appearance of a human-
sized mouse. - After a coup, Napoleon assumedthe power to rule France.
- Marty will assume the task of providing refreshments.
•I assumedthat Geri had bought tickets, and I was wrong. - You may assumethe role of the nuclear scientist, even though you failed to
pass arithmetic.
[-d, assuming]
assumption(uh SUHMP shn) n.1. (religious) the taking up of a person into
heaven; a Roman Catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary’s being taken up; 2.
a taking upon one’s self, taking over, or taking up; an assuming; 3. anything taken
for granted; a supposing - The Feast of the Assumptionis a Roman Catholic holiday.
- The First Bank just completed the assumptionof Harry and Peter’s mortgage
loan, so from now on, the monthly checks should be made out to First Bank. - Napoleon’s assumptionof the title of emperor gave the rest of Europe some-
thing to be concerned about. - The assumptionthat you were going to get a B or better in chemistry does
not appear to have been well founded.
astute (ast OOT, ast YOOT) adj.being clever or shrewd of mind; cunning;
crafty; wily - Getting out of the dot.com stocks just before they crashed was an astute
move on Jerry’s part. - A fox is a very astuteanimal, often referred to as cunning.
- If Hal were astute,he’d pick up on Lynn’s hint to call her.
[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. shrewd]
32 Essential Vocabulary