Nova S40E17: English vocabulary

to destroy something badly or cause it to fail completely

to connect things so that each one is linked to the others

to move back or farther away

the process of making something waterproof

a small, soft light or shine

not flowing or moving, and often dirty or smelling bad

the use of magic, especially evil magic

to flow slowly through small holes or a porous material

surrounded by a fence or wall with a gate, often for security

to increase very quickly

a perfect example of a particular quality or type

to flow out quickly in a large amount

more able or skilled than someone or something else

able to recover quickly from problems or difficult changes

a wall or partition that divides a ship, aircraft, or other large structure into sections

a person or thing that changes something

a very small, thin piece of something that has broken off or been cut from a larger piece

wet, muddy, and like a swamp

a medieval practice that tried to turn ordinary metals into gold and find a cure for all illness

the process of changing from a liquid into a gas

a confident, often slightly arrogant way of walking or behaving

the Fahrenheit temperature scale, where water freezes at 32° and boils at 212°

to become weaker, quieter, or less severe

used to refer to other similar things or items not named

the scientific study of light and how it behaves

made of parts joined by flexible joints

a wall or bank built to stop water from flooding land

able to be imagined or thought possible

decorated with a lot of detail or fancy design

wet, soft, and unpleasantly heavy

a person who tries to persuade others to accept a religious belief, especially Christianity

a slow-moving stream or channel in a swampy area

difficult or unlucky conditions in life

respected because of age, wisdom, or long experience

causing harm or damage

the act of keeping horses in stables

a faint or unsteady light

something that makes a surface, line, or shape even or level

to cover or treat something so that heat, sound, or electricity cannot pass through easily

the wide area where a river meets the sea and the tide moves in and out

the stone at the top of an arch that holds it together

the land along the sea; the coast

the movement of the sea away from the shore as the tide goes out

either of the two lines of latitude around 23.5° north and south of the equator

a long, narrow area of sea between steep cliffs, formed by a glacier

a small shellfish with a dark shell, eaten as food

a machine that squeezes air or gas and increases its pressure

extremely large

made invalid or no longer legally effective

a piece of clothing with trousers and a bib front, worn over a shirt for work or casual wear

giving a feeling that something bad is going to happen

the way a person thinks about things and makes decisions

making you feel very cold; cold enough to make you shiver

continuing without stopping or weakening

the act of moving along without using power

a person from the Netherlands

locked with a key

temporary and improvised, used because the proper thing is not available

to keep trying to fight or challenge something that is impossible or not real

to copy the way something looks, sounds, or behaves

to make someone less likely to do something by making it seem difficult, risky, or unpleasant

to make a liquid weaker by adding water or another liquid

the act of adding salt to food or water

to make an exact copy of something or repeat an experiment or result

to treat someone in a cruel or insulting way

at the same time that something else is happening

extremely large, strong, or powerful

among ordinary people, especially in public life

smoothed by rubbing with sandpaper

the act of sealing a hole or gap

to explain something in more detail

a device that changes the voltage of an alternating current

a process that makes cloth stiffer and stronger by coating it with a special substance

the life or world believed to exist after death

to continue to exist or be remembered

the activity of making clothes or other items by looping yarn with needles