VOCABULARY

1. property
   a basic or essential attribute shared by members of a class
   Owing to these magic properties, it was often planted near dwellings to keep away evil spirits. 
   — Parsons, Mary Elizabeth
2. fancy
   imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind
   For a time, indeed, he had fancied that things were changed. 
   — Weyman, Stanley J.
3. concept
   an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
   As a psychologist, I have always found the concept of speed dating fascinating. 
   — Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)
4. court
   an assembly to conduct judicial business
   When Brown pleaded not guilty to assaulting Rihanna, their violent past came out in court. 
   — Slate (Feb 16, 2012)
5. appoint
   assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to
   In 1863 he was appointed by the general assembly professor of oriental languages at New College. 
   — Various
6. passage
   a section of text, particularly a section of medium length
   His interpretation of many obscure scriptural passages by means of native manners and customs and traditions is particularly helpful and informing. 
   — Sheets, Emily Churchill Thompson
7. vain
   unproductive of success
   An attempt was made to ignore this brilliant and irregular book, but invain; it was read all over Europe. 
   — Various
8. instance
   an occurrence of something
   In many instances large districts or towns would have fewer representatives than smaller ones, or perhaps none at all. 
   — Clarke, Helen Archibald
9. coast
   the shore of a sea or ocean
   Martello towers must be built within short distances all round thecoast. 
   — Wingfield, Lewis
10. project
    a planned undertaking
    The funds are aimed at helping build public projects including mass transit, electricity networks, water utility and ports, it said. 
    — BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)
11. commission
    a special group delegated to consider some matter
    The developers are now seeking approval from the landmarkscommission. 
    — New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)
12. constant
    a quantity that does not vary
    In 1929, Hubble independently put forward and confirmed the same idea, and the parameter later became known as the Hubble constant.
    — Nature (Nov 15, 2011)
13. circumstances
    one's overall condition in life
    The circumstances leading up to the shootings was not immediately available. 
    — Chicago Tribune (Feb 19, 2012)
14. constitute
    to compose or represent
    Oil and natural gas constituted almost 50 percent of Russian government revenue last year. 
    — BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)
15. level
    a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
    Only last month did the men’s and women’s unemployment rates reach the same level. 
    — New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)
16. affect
    have an influence upon
    The central bank will start distributing low-interest loans in early March to individuals and small- and medium-sized companies affected by the flooding. 
    — BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)
17. institute
    set up or lay the groundwork for
    Corporations have to be more and more focused on institutinghigher labor standards. 
    — Washington Post (Feb 7, 2012)
18. render
    give an interpretation of
    But authorities had rendered the weapon and the explosive device inoperable, officials said. 
    — Chicago Tribune (Feb 17, 2012)
19. appeal
    be attractive to
    To get traditional women’s accessories to appeal to men, some designers are giving them manly names and styles. 
    — New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)
20. generate
    bring into existence
    Qualities such as these are not generated under bad working practices of any sort. 
    — Hungerford, Edward
21. theory
    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world
    Testing that theory begins Saturday night, as the Capitals take on Tampa Bay in another important contest. 
    — Washington Post (Feb 18, 2012)
22. range
    a variety of different things or activities
    Like American community colleges, admission at an open university is not competitive, but the schools offer a range of programs, including doctoral degrees. 
    — Time (Feb 19, 2012)
23. campaign
    a race between candidates for elective office
    At the same point in 2004 — as an incumbent facing re-election — Mr. Bush had taken in about $145.6 million for his campaign. 
    — New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)
24. league
    an association of sports teams that organizes matches
    "When I broke into the big leagues until a month ago, Gary kept in touch," Mets third baseman David Wright said. 
    — Seattle Times (Feb 17, 2012)
25. labor
    any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
    More labor is entailed, more time is required, greater delay is occasioned in cleaning up, and the amount of water used is much greater. 
    — Hoskin, Arthur J.
26. confer
    have a meeting in order to talk something over
    Ms. Stewart said Mrs. Bachmann conferred with her family and a few aides after her disappointing showing on Tuesday evening. 
    — New York Times (Jan 4, 2012)
27. grant
    allow to have
    He had been granted entry into the White House only for the daily briefing, later that afternoon. 
    — New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)
28. dwell
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    But it is hardly necessary to dwell on so normal an event. 
    — Vinogradoff, Paul
29. entertain
    provide amusement for
    The first Super Bowl in 1967 featured college marching bandsentertaining the crowds at halftime. 
    — Reuters (Feb 6, 2012)
30. contract
    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law
    Contracts with utilities will be signed starting next month, he said. 
    — BusinessWeek (Feb 16, 2012)