Vocabularies from GGS
Sedentary (adjective)
Definition:
Living or staying in one place rather than moving from place to place.
In simple words:
Sedentary means living permanently in one place, rather than moving around to find food or resources.
Compare: Sedentary vs. Nomadic
- sedentary = living in one place
- nomadic = moving from place to place
Examples:
- Agriculture allowed many people to adopt a more sedentary way of life.
- Sedentary farmers could store food, while nomadic hunter-gatherers had to carry their possessions with them.
Dispel (verb)
Definition:
To make a belief, fear, doubt, or misunderstanding disappear.
In simple words:
To dispel something means to get rid of a wrong idea, doubt, or fear, usually by giving facts or evidence.
Examples:
- The new evidence helped dispel the belief that farming always led to a better life.
- Diamond tries to dispel the idea that some societies developed faster because their people were naturally more intelligent.
Strive (verb)
Definition:
To try very hard to achieve something.
Common pattern:
strive to + verb = make a great effort to do something
strive for + noun = make a great effort to achieve something
Examples:
- People often strive to improve their living conditions.
- Societies may strive for greater food security when resources are limited.
Go off (phrasal verb)
Definition:
To leave a place, especially in order to do something.
In the context of Guns, Germs, and Steel, it can mean to leave or go somewhere for a particular purpose.
Examples:
- Some people went off to hunt, while others stayed behind to gather plants.
- He went off in search of better land for farming.
Note: go off has several other meanings depending on context: an alarm goes off (= starts ringing), a bomb goes off (= explodes), or food goes off (= becomes bad).
Set off (phrasal verb)
Definition:
To start a journey or leave for a particular place.
In simple words:
To set off means to begin a journey.
Examples:
- The hunters set off early in the morning in search of food.
- The group set off for a new area where food was more abundant.
Compare:
go off = leave, often to do something
set off = begin a journey
Also, set off can mean to cause something to start, especially a reaction or event:
The drought set off a food crisis. = The drought caused the crisis to begin.
Edible (adjective)
Definition:
Safe or suitable to be eaten.
In simple words:
If something is edible, you can eat it safely.
Opposite: inedible = not suitable or safe to eat
Examples:
- Hunter-gatherers had to know which wild plants were edible.
- Not all wild fruits are edible; some can be poisonous.