| cause | | |
| n. (event) | 1. cause | events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something.; "they are trying to determine the cause of the crash" |
| ~ inception, origination, origin | an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events. |
| ~ antecedent | a preceding occurrence or cause or event. |
| ~ aetiology, etiology | the cause of a disease. |
| ~ factor | anything that contributes causally to a result.; "a number of factors determined the outcome" |
| ~ producer | something that produces.; "Maine is a leading producer of potatoes"; "this microorganism is a producer of disease" |
| ~ mutagenesis | an event capable of causing a mutation. |
| n. (communication) | 2. cause, grounds, reason | a justification for something existing or happening.; "he had no cause to complain"; "they had good reason to rejoice" |
| ~ justification | a statement in explanation of some action or belief. |
| n. (act) | 3. campaign, cause, crusade, drive, effort, movement | a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end.; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort" |
| ~ venture | any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome. |
| ~ ad blitz, ad campaign, advertising campaign | an organized program of advertisements. |
| ~ anti-war movement | a campaign against entering or continuing a war. |
| ~ charm campaign | a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain support. |
| ~ consumerism | a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers. |
| ~ campaigning, candidacy, candidature, electioneering, political campaign | the campaign of a candidate to be elected. |
| ~ fund-raising campaign, fund-raising drive, fund-raising effort | a campaign to raise money for some cause. |
| ~ feminist movement, women's lib, women's liberation movement, feminism | the movement aimed at equal rights for women. |
| ~ gay lib, gay liberation movement | the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppression. |
| ~ lost cause | a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable. |
| ~ reform | a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices.; "the reforms he proposed were too radical for the politicians" |
| ~ war | a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious.; "the war on poverty"; "the war against crime" |
| ~ youth crusade, youth movement | political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people. |
| n. (tops) | 4. causal agency, causal agent, cause | any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results. |
| ~ physical entity | an entity that has physical existence. |
| ~ individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul | a human being.; "there was too much for one person to do" |
| ~ agent | an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect.; "their research uncovered new disease agents" |
| ~ nature | a causal agent creating and controlling things in the universe.; "the laws of nature"; "nature has seen to it that men are stronger than women" |
| ~ occult, supernatural | supernatural forces and events and beings collectively.; "She doesn't believe in the supernatural" |
| ~ theurgy | the effect of supernatural or divine intervention in human affairs. |
| ~ first cause, prime mover, primum mobile | an agent that is the cause of all things but does not itself have a cause.; "God is the first cause" |
| ~ destiny, fate | the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman).; "we are helpless in the face of destiny" |
| ~ catalyst | something that causes an important event to happen.; "the invasion acted as a catalyst to unite the country" |
| ~ deus ex machina | any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an insoluble difficulty. |
| ~ manipulator, operator | an agent that operates some apparatus or machine.; "the operator of the switchboard" |
| ~ power, force | one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority.; "the mysterious presence of an evil power"; "may the force be with you"; "the forces of evil" |
| ~ life principle, vital principle | a hypothetical force to which the functions and qualities peculiar to living things are sometimes ascribed. |
| ~ engine | something used to achieve a purpose.; "an engine of change" |
| ~ cause of death, killer | the causal agent resulting in death.; "heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States" |
| ~ danger | a cause of pain or injury or loss.; "he feared the dangers of traveling by air" |
| ~ agent | a substance that exerts some force or effect. |
| n. (act) | 5. case, causa, cause, lawsuit, suit | a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy.; "the family brought suit against the landlord" |
| ~ civil suit | a lawsuit alleging violations of civil law by the defendant. |
| ~ class-action suit, class action | a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group. |
| ~ countersuit | a suit brought against someone who has sued you. |
| ~ criminal suit | a lawsuit alleging violations of criminal law by the defendant. |
| ~ moot | a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise.; "he organized the weekly moot" |
| ~ bastardy proceeding, paternity suit | a lawsuit filed to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock (and to provide for the support of the child once paternity is determined). |
| ~ legal proceeding, proceeding, proceedings | (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked. |
| ~ law, jurisprudence | the collection of rules imposed by authority.; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" |
| v. (creation) | 6. cause, do, make | give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally.; "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident" |
| ~ shape, determine, influence, regulate, mold | shape or influence; give direction to.; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion" |
| ~ create, make | make or cause to be or to become.; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor" |
| ~ initiate, pioneer | take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of.; "This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants" |
| ~ effect, effectuate, set up | produce.; "The scientists set up a shock wave" |
| ~ make | compel or make somebody or something to act in a certain way.; "People cannot be made to integrate just by passing a law!"; "Heat makes you sweat" |
| ~ occasion | give occasion to. |
| ~ call forth, evoke, kick up, provoke | evoke or provoke to appear or occur.; "Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple" |
| ~ breed, engender, spawn | call forth. |
| ~ incite, motivate, prompt, actuate, propel, move | give an incentive for action.; "This moved me to sacrifice my career" |
| ~ impel, force | urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate. |
| ~ facilitate | increase the likelihood of (a response).; "The stimulus facilitates a delayed impulse" |
| v. (communication) | 7. cause, get, have, induce, make, stimulate | cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner.; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa" |
| ~ decide | cause to decide.; "This new development finally decided me!" |
| ~ persuade | cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm.; "You can't persuade me to buy this ugly vase!" |
| ~ bring | induce or persuade.; "The confession of one of the accused brought the others to admit to the crime as well" |
| ~ solicit | incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination.; "He was accused of soliciting his colleagues to destroy the documents" |
| ~ encourage | spur on.; "His financial success encouraged him to look for a wife" |
| ~ let | actively cause something to happen.; "I let it be known that I was not interested" |
| ~ lead | cause to undertake a certain action.; "Her greed led her to forge the checks" |
| ~ instigate, prompt, inspire | serve as the inciting cause of.; "She prompted me to call my relatives" |
| ~ suborn | induce to commit perjury or give false testimony.; "The President tried to suborn false witnesses" |
| ~ compel, obligate, oblige | force somebody to do something.; "We compel all students to fill out this form" |
| factor | | |
| n. (event) | 1. factor | anything that contributes causally to a result.; "a number of factors determined the outcome" |
| ~ cause | events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something.; "they are trying to determine the cause of the crash" |
| ~ fundamental | any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business.; "fundamentals include a company's growth, revenues, earnings, management, and capital structure" |
| ~ parameter | any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance. |
| ~ unknown quantity | a factor in a given situation whose bearing and importance is not apparent.; "I don't know what the new man will do; he's still an unknown quantity" |
| ~ wild card | an unpredictable factor.; "the weather was a wild card" |
| ~ releasing factor, releasing hormone, rf | a substance produced by the hypothalamus that is capable of accelerating the secretion of a given hormone by the anterior pituitary gland. |
| ~ intrinsic factor | a substance produced by the mucosa of the stomach and intestines that is essential for the absorption of vitamin B12.; "lack of intrinsic factor can result in pernicious anemia" |
| n. (cognition) | 2. component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient | an abstract part of something.; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" |
| ~ be-all and end-all, be all and end all | the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim.; "profit is the be-all and end-all of business" |
| ~ plot element | a component or element of the plot of a story. |
| ~ point | a geometric element that has position but no extension.; "a point is defined by its coordinates" |
| ~ division, section, part | one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole.; "the written part of the exam"; "the finance section of the company"; "the BBC's engineering division" |
| n. (quantity) | 3. divisor, factor | one of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer.; "what are the 4 factors of 6?" |
| ~ prime factor | the prime factors of a quantity are all of the prime quantities that will exactly divide the given quantity. |
| ~ integer, whole number | any of the natural numbers (positive or negative) or zero.; "an integer is a number that is not a fraction" |
| ~ equivalent-binary-digit factor | the average number of binary digits needed to express one radix digit in a numeration system that is not binary; on the average a number that can be expressed in N decimal digits takes 3.3N binary digits. |
| ~ common divisor, common factor, common measure | an integer that divides two (or more) other integers evenly. |
| n. (person) | 4. agent, broker, factor | a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission. |
| ~ brokerage, brokerage firm, securities firm | a stock broker's business; charges a fee to act as intermediary between buyer and seller. |
| ~ auctioneer | an agent who conducts an auction. |
| ~ bourgeois, businessperson | a capitalist who engages in industrial commercial enterprise. |
| ~ insurance agent, insurance broker, general agent, underwriter | an agent who sells insurance. |
| ~ investment banker, underwriter | a banker who deals chiefly in underwriting new securities. |
| ~ estate agent, house agent, land agent, real estate agent, real estate broker | a person who is authorized to act as an agent for the sale of land.; "in England they call a real estate agent a land agent" |
| ~ ship broker | an agent for the ship owner; obtains cargo and may arrange for its loading or discharge. |
| ~ stockbroker | an agent in the buying and selling of stocks and bonds. |
| ~ syndic | one appointed to represent a city or university or corporation in business transactions. |
| ~ travel agent | someone who sells or arranges trips or tours for customers. |
| n. (quantity) | 5. factor | any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together. |
| ~ deflator | a statistical factor designed to remove the effect of inflation; inflation adjusted variables are in constant dollars. |
| ~ number | a concept of quantity involving zero and units.; "every number has a unique position in the sequence" |
| ~ conversion factor | factor by which a quantity that is expressed in one set of units must be multiplied in order to convert it into another set of units. |
| ~ constant of proportionality, factor of proportionality | the constant value of the ratio of two proportional quantities x and y; usually written y = kx, where k is the factor of proportionality. |
| n. (cognition) | 6. factor | an independent variable in statistics. |
| ~ experimental variable, independent variable | (statistics) a variable whose values are independent of changes in the values of other variables. |
| n. (body) | 7. cistron, factor, gene | (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity.; "genes were formerly called factors" |
| ~ dominant gene | gene that produces the same phenotype in the organism whether or not its allele identical.; "the dominant gene for brown eyes" |
| ~ allele, allelomorph | (genetics) either of a pair (or series) of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular chromosome and that control the same character.; "some alleles are dominant over others" |
| ~ genetic marker | a specific gene that produces a recognizable trait and can be used in family or population studies. |
| ~ homeotic gene | one the genes that are involved in embryologic development. |
| ~ lethal gene | any gene that has an effect that causes the death of the organism at any stage of life. |
| ~ linkage group, linked genes | any pair of genes that tend to be transmitted together.; "the genes of Drosophila fall into four linkage groups" |
| ~ modifier gene, modifier | a gene that modifies the effect produced by another gene. |
| ~ mutant gene | a gene that has changed so that the normal transmission and expression of a trait is affected. |
| ~ nonallele | genes that are not competitors at the same locus. |
| ~ operator gene | a gene that activates the production of messenger RNA by adjacent structural genes. |
| ~ oncogene, transforming gene | a gene that disposes normal cells to change into cancerous tumor cells. |
| ~ polygene | a gene that by itself has little effect on the phenotype but which can act together with others to produce observable variations. |
| ~ proto-oncogene | a normal gene that has the potential to become an oncogene. |
| ~ recessive gene | gene that produces its characteristic phenotype only when its allele is identical.; "the recessive gene for blue eyes" |
| ~ regulator gene, regulatory gene | a gene that produces a repressor substance that inhibits an operator gene. |
| ~ repressor gene | gene that prevents a nonallele from being transcribed. |
| ~ structural gene | a gene that controls the production of a specific protein or peptide. |
| ~ suppresser gene, suppressor gene, suppresser, suppressor | a gene that suppresses the phenotypic expression of another gene (especially of a mutant gene). |
| ~ transgene | an exogenous gene introduced into the genome of another organism. |
| ~ x-linked gene | a gene located on an X chromosome. |
| ~ holandric gene, y-linked gene | a gene located on a Y chromosome. |
| ~ chromosome | a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order.; "humans have 22 chromosome pairs plus two sex chromosomes" |
| ~ genetic science, genetics | the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms. |
| ~ molecular biology | the branch of biology that studies the structure and activity of macromolecules essential to life (and especially with their genetic role). |
| ~ sequence | serial arrangement in which things follow in logical order or a recurrent pattern.; "the sequence of names was alphabetical"; "he invented a technique to determine the sequence of base pairs in DNA" |
| ~ deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid, dna | (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information.; "DNA is the king of molecules" |
| v. (cognition) | 8. factor, factor in, factor out | resolve into factors.; "a quantum computer can factor the number 15" |
| ~ arithmetic | the branch of pure mathematics dealing with the theory of numerical calculations. |
| ~ calculate, compute, cipher, cypher, figure, reckon, work out | make a mathematical calculation or computation. |
| v. (possession) | 9. factor | be a contributing factor.; "make things factor into a company's profitability" |
| ~ contribute, lend, impart, add, bestow, bring | bestow a quality on.; "Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company"; "The music added a lot to the play"; "She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings"; "This adds a light note to the program" |
| v. (cognition) | 10. factor, factor in, factor out | consider as relevant when making a decision.; "You must factor in the recent developments" |
| ~ consider, study | give careful consideration to.; "consider the possibility of moving" |
| such | | |
| adj. | 1. such | of so extreme a degree or extent.; "such weeping"; "so much weeping"; "such a help"; "such grief"; "never dreamed of such beauty" |
| ~ much | (quantifier used with mass nouns) great in quantity or degree or extent.; "not much rain"; "much affection"; "much grain is in storage" |
| adv. | 2. such | to so extreme a degree.; "he is such a baby"; "Such rich people!" |
| ~ intensifier, intensive | a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies.; "`up' in `finished up' is an intensifier"; "`honestly' in `I honestly don't know' is an intensifier" |
| thus | | |
| n. (substance) | 1. frankincense, gum olibanum, olibanum, thus | an aromatic gum resin obtained from various Arabian or East African trees; formerly valued for worship and for embalming and fumigation. |
| ~ gum | any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying. |
| adv. | 2. hence, so, thence, therefore, thus | (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result.; "therefore X must be true"; "the eggs were fresh and hence satisfactory"; "we were young and thence optimistic"; "it is late and thus we must go"; "the witness is biased and so cannot be trusted" |
| adv. | 3. so, thus, thusly | in the way indicated.; "hold the brush so"; "set up the pieces thus" |
| say | | |
| n. (state) | 1. say | the chance to speak.; "let him have his say" |
| ~ chance, opportunity | a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances.; "the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"; "now is your chance" |
| v. (communication) | 2. say, state, tell | express in words.; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" |
| ~ present, lay out, represent | bring forward and present to the mind.; "We presented the arguments to him"; "We cannot represent this knowledge to our formal reason" |
| ~ misstate | state something incorrectly.; "You misstated my position" |
| ~ answer, reply, respond | react verbally.; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the question"; "We answered that we would accept the invitation" |
| ~ preface, premise, precede, introduce | furnish with a preface or introduction.; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution" |
| ~ give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize | articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise.; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" |
| ~ announce, declare | announce publicly or officially.; "The President declared war" |
| ~ enunciate, vocalise, vocalize, articulate | express or state clearly. |
| ~ say | state as one's opinion or judgement; declare.; "I say let's forget this whole business" |
| ~ get out | express with difficulty.; "I managed to get out a few words" |
| ~ declare | state emphatically and authoritatively.; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" |
| ~ declare | make a declaration (of dutiable goods) to a customs official.; "Do you have anything to declare?" |
| ~ note, remark, mention, observe | make mention of.; "She observed that his presentation took up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing" |
| ~ add, append, supply | state or say further.; "`It doesn't matter,' he supplied" |
| ~ explain | define.; "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean" |
| ~ give | convey or reveal information.; "Give one's name" |
| ~ sum, summarise, sum up, summarize | be a summary of.; "The abstract summarizes the main ideas in the paper" |
| v. (communication) | 3. allege, aver, say | report or maintain.; "He alleged that he was the victim of a crime"; "He said it was too late to intervene in the war"; "The registrar says that I owe the school money" |
| ~ plead | make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts. |
| ~ assert, asseverate, maintain | state categorically. |
| v. (communication) | 4. say, suppose | express a supposition.; "Let us say that he did not tell the truth"; "Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?" |
| ~ speculate | talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion.; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal" |
| v. (stative) | 5. read, say | have or contain a certain wording or form.; "The passage reads as follows"; "What does the law say?" |
| ~ read | interpret something that is written or printed.; "read the advertisement"; "Have you read Salman Rushdie?" |
| ~ feature, have | have as a feature.; "This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France" |
| v. (communication) | 6. enjoin, order, say, tell | give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed" |
| ~ direct | command with authority.; "He directed the children to do their homework" |
| ~ instruct | give instructions or directions for some task.; "She instructed the students to work on their pronunciation" |
| ~ command, require | make someone do something. |
| ~ request | ask (a person) to do something.; "She asked him to be here at noon"; "I requested that she type the entire manuscript" |
| ~ send for, call | order, request, or command to come.; "She was called into the director's office"; "Call the police!" |
| ~ warn | ask to go away.; "The old man warned the children off his property" |
| v. (communication) | 7. articulate, enounce, enunciate, pronounce, say, sound out | speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way.; "She pronounces French words in a funny way"; "I cannot say `zip wire'"; "Can the child sound out this complicated word?" |
| ~ twang | pronounce with a nasal twang. |
| ~ mouth, speak, talk, verbalise, verbalize, utter | express in speech.; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" |
| ~ devoice | utter with tense vocal chords. |
| ~ raise | pronounce (vowels) by bringing the tongue closer to the roof of the mouth.; "raise your `o'" |
| ~ lilt | articulate in a very careful and rhythmic way. |
| ~ palatalise, palatalize | pronounce a consonant with the tongue against the palate. |
| ~ nasalise, nasalize | pronounce with a lowered velum.; "She nasalizes all her vowels" |
| ~ nasalise, nasalize | speak nasally or through the nose.; "In this part of the country, people tend to nasalize" |
| ~ mispronounce, misspeak | pronounce a word incorrectly.; "She mispronounces many Latinate words" |
| ~ aspirate | pronounce with aspiration; of stop sounds. |
| ~ vocalize, voice, vocalise, sound | utter with vibrating vocal chords. |
| ~ retroflex | articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate.; "Indian accents can be characterized by the fact that speakers retroflex their consonants" |
| ~ subvocalise, subvocalize | articulate without making audible sounds.; "she was reading to herself and merely subvocalized" |
| ~ syllabise, syllabize | utter with distinct articulation of each syllable.; "The poet syllabized the verses he read" |
| ~ drawl | lengthen and slow down or draw out.; "drawl one's vowels" |
| ~ labialise, labialize, round | pronounce with rounded lips. |
| ~ lisp | speak with a lisp. |
| ~ accent, accentuate, stress | put stress on; utter with an accent.; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" |
| ~ vowelise, vowelize, vocalise, vocalize | pronounce as a vowel.; "between two consonants, this liquid is vowelized" |
| ~ click | produce a click.; "Xhosa speakers click" |
| ~ trill | pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'.; "Some speakers trill their r's" |
| ~ sibilate | pronounce with an initial sibilant. |
| ~ flap | pronounce with a flap, of alveolar sounds. |
| ~ explode | cause to burst as a result of air pressure; of stop consonants like /p/, /t/, and /k/. |
| ~ roll | pronounce with a roll, of the phoneme /r/.; "She rolls her r's" |
| v. (communication) | 8. say | communicate or express nonverbally.; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" |
| ~ say | indicate.; "The clock says noon" |
| ~ convey | make known; pass on, of information.; "She conveyed the message to me" |
| v. (communication) | 9. say | utter aloud.; "She said `Hello' to everyone in the office" |
| ~ give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize | articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise.; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" |
| v. (communication) | 10. say | state as one's opinion or judgement; declare.; "I say let's forget this whole business" |
| ~ say, state, tell | express in words.; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" |
| v. (communication) | 11. say | recite or repeat a fixed text.; "Say grace"; "She said her `Hail Mary'" |
| ~ recite | repeat aloud from memory.; "she recited a poem"; "The pupil recited his lesson for the day" |
| v. (communication) | 12. say | indicate.; "The clock says noon" |
| ~ record, register, read, show | indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments.; "The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero"; "The gauge read `empty'" |
| ~ say | communicate or express nonverbally.; "What does this painting say?"; "Did his face say anything about how he felt?" |
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