C2 English Nouns: Philosophy, Science & Time
Advancing to C2 proficiency requires the ability to discuss complex systems, from intellectual frameworks to the natural world. This section provides the lexicon for engaging in discussions about principles, scientific phenomena, and the progression of events with precision.
Here you will find vocabulary for Philosophy, Thought & Principles, with core terms like tenet and antithesis. It also covers nouns for Natural World & Scientific Processes such as symbiosis and catalyst, and words related to Time, Change & Stages, including genesis and hiatus.
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Philosophy, Thought & Principles
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| archetype | He represents the archetype of the tragic hero. | /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ |
| axiom | It is a widely accepted axiom that all people are created equal. | /ˈæksiəm/ |
| crux | The crux of the matter is whether we can afford the investment. | /krʌks/ |
| dialectic | The book explores the dialectic between tradition and modernity. | /ˌdaɪəˈlektɪk/ |
| dichotomy | There is a false dichotomy between art and science.
Word Partners: false dichotomy
|
/daɪˈkɒtəmi/ |
| enigma | The disappearance of the ship remained an unsolved enigma. | /ɪˈnɪɡmə/ |
| fallacy | It is a common fallacy that money brings happiness.
Word Partners: common fallacy
|
/ˈfæləsi/ |
| maxim | "Honesty is the best policy" is an old maxim. | /ˈmæksɪm/ |
| nihilism | The novel explores the bleak philosophy of nihilism. | /ˈnaɪɪlɪzəm/ |
| obfuscation | The report was full of jargon and deliberate obfuscation.
Word Partners: deliberate obfuscation
|
/ˌɒbfʌˈskeɪʃn/ |
| omnipotence | The dictator's belief in his own omnipotence was his ultimate downfall. | /ɒmˈnɪpətəns/ |
| omniscience | The novel is told from a perspective of third-person omniscience. | /ɒmˈnɪsiəns/ |
| paradigm | The discovery of DNA created a paradigm shift in biology.
Word Partners: paradigm shift
|
/ˈpærədaɪm/ |
| paradox | It is one of the great paradoxes of life that we must work hard to relax. | /ˈpærədɒks/ |
| psyche | The novel provides a deep insight into the criminal psyche. | /ˈsaɪki/ |
| quintessence | She was the quintessence of old-world charm and elegance. | /kwɪnˈtesns/ |
| subconscious | The fears in his subconscious were influencing his waking behaviour. | /ˌsʌbˈkɒnʃəs/ |
| tenet | This is a fundamental tenet of the country's legal system.
Word Partners: fundamental/basic tenet
|
/ˈtenɪt/ |
| theorem | He spent years trying to prove the mathematical theorem. | /ˈθɪərəm/ |
| touchstone | The novel is considered a touchstone of modern literature. | /ˈtʌtʃstəʊn/ |
| truism | It is a truism that everyone must die eventually. | /ˈtruːɪzəm/ |
| utopia | They dreamed of creating a perfect utopia on the remote island. | /juːˈtəʊpiə/ |
Natural World & Scientific Processes
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| cosmology | The study of cosmology seeks to understand the origin of the universe. | /kɒzˈmɒlədʒi/ |
| cosmos | Carl Sagan's work revealed the wonders of the cosmos to a wide audience. | /ˈkɒzmɒs/ |
| entropy | Without constant effort, large organisations tend towards a state of entropy. | /ˈentrəpi/ |
| epicentre | The town was the epicentre of the earthquake. | /ˈepɪsentə(r)/ |
| equilibrium | The chemicals in the solution eventually reached a state of equilibrium. | /ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbriəm/ |
| fauna | The island has a unique fauna found nowhere else on Earth. | /ˈfɔːnə/ |
| fermentation | The process of fermentation is essential in the making of wine and beer. | /ˌfɜːmenˈteɪʃn/ |
| flora | The Amazon rainforest is home to an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna.
Word Partners: flora and fauna
|
/ˈflɔːrə/ |
| herbivore | Dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus were large herbivores. | /ˈhɜːbɪvɔː(r)/ |
| hybrid | The car is a hybrid that runs on both petrol and electricity. | /ˈhaɪbrɪd/ |
| oscillation | The study measured the oscillation of the pendulum. | /ˌɒsɪˈleɪʃn/ |
| placebo | In the clinical trial, one group was given the real drug and the other was given a placebo. | /pləˈsiːbəʊ/ |
| plasticity | The study focused on the brain's plasticity and its ability to adapt.
Word Partners: brain plasticity
|
/plæˈstɪsəti/ |
| prototype | This is just a prototype; the final product will be much improved. | /ˈprəʊtətaɪp/ |
| symbiosis | The two species live in a state of symbiosis. | /ˌsɪmbaɪˈəʊsɪs/ |
| torque | The engine delivers maximum torque at low revs. | /tɔːk/ |
| toxicity | The study measured the toxicity of the chemical compound. | /tɒkˈsɪsəti/ |
| velocity | The scientists measured the velocity of the projectile. | /vəˈlɒsəti/ |
| vertex | The three lines intersected at a single vertex. | /ˈvɜːteks/ |
| viper | He realised he had been nurturing a viper in his bosom. | /ˈvaɪpə(r)/ |
| virulence | Scientists were alarmed by the virulence of the new strain of the virus. | /ˈvɪrələns/ |
| zodiac | The twelve signs of the zodiac are important in astrology. | /ˈzəʊdiæk/ |
Time, Change & Stages
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| advent | The advent of the internet changed the world forever. | /ˈædvent/ |
| antiquity | The statue was of great value, dating back to antiquity. | /ænˈtɪkwəti/ |
| cessation | The treaty called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Word Partners: cessation of hostilities
|
/seˈseɪʃn/ |
| consummation | The new trade deal was the consummation of years of negotiation. | /ˌkɒnsəˈmeɪʃn/ |
| demise | The demise of the Roman Empire took several centuries. | /dɪˈmaɪz/ |
| denouement | The novel's denouement reveals the true identity of the murderer. | /deɪˈnuːmɒ̃/ |
| dotage | In his dotage, he was cared for by his devoted children. | /ˈdəʊtɪdʒ/ |
| epoch | The invention of the printing press marked a new epoch in human history.
Word Partners: new epoch, mark an epoch
|
/ˈiːpɒk/ |
| exodus | The war triggered a mass exodus of refugees from the region.
Word Partners: mass exodus
|
/ˈeksədəs/ |
| flux | The political situation is currently in a state of flux.
Word Partners: in a state of flux
|
/flʌks/ |
| fruition | After years of planning, the project finally came to fruition.
Word Partners: come to fruition
|
/fruˈɪʃn/ |
| genesis | The book examines the genesis of the Cold War. | /ˈdʒenəsɪs/ |
| gestation | The project had a long gestation period of over five years. | /dʒeˈsteɪʃn/ |
| halcyon | She often reminisced about the halcyon days of her youth.
Word Partners: halcyon days
|
/ˈhælsiən/ |
| influx | The country experienced a sudden influx of refugees. | /ˈɪnflʌks/ |
| interlude | After a brief interlude, the orchestra resumed playing. | /ˈɪntəluːd/ |
| lapse | After a brief lapse in concentration, she made a costly error. | /læps/ |
| longevity | The secret to her remarkable longevity was a simple diet and regular exercise. | /lɒnˈdʒevəti/ |
| moratorium | The government declared a moratorium on new construction in the area.
Word Partners: a moratorium on
|
/ˌmɒrəˈtɔːriəm/ |
| obsolescence | The rapid pace of technology leads to planned obsolescence in many products.
Word Partners: planned obsolescence
|
/ˌɒbsəˈlesns/ |
| onset | The onset of winter was unusually sudden. | /ˈɒnset/ |
| permanence | The treaty was intended to bring a sense of permanence to the peace agreement. | /ˈpɜːmənəns/ |
| posterity | The letters were preserved for posterity. | /pɒˈsterəti/ |
| prelude | The border skirmishes were a prelude to full-scale war. | /ˈpreljuːd/ |
| premonition | She had a strange premonition that something terrible was about to happen. | /ˌpreməˈnɪʃn/ |
| proliferation | There has been a proliferation of new cafés in the city centre. | /prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃn/ |
| reformation | The 16th century was the era of the Protestant Reformation. | /ˌrefəˈmeɪʃn/ |
| regression | After making good progress, the patient suffered a sudden regression. | /rɪˈɡreʃn/ |
| relic | The museum houses several relics from the medieval period. | /ˈrelɪk/ |
| remembrance | A minute's silence was held in remembrance of those who lost their lives. | /rɪˈmembrəns/ |
| remnant | These customs are a remnant of a bygone era. | /ˈremnənt/ |
| resurgence | The country is experiencing a resurgence in nationalism.
Word Partners: a resurgence in/of
|
/rɪˈsɜːdʒəns/ |
| retrospection | In retrospection, I can see that my decision was a mistake.
Word Partners: in retrospection
|
/ˌretrəˈspekʃn/ |
| senility | In his later years, he showed signs of advancing senility. | /səˈnɪləti/ |
| sequel | The film's sequel was even more successful than the original. | /ˈsiːkwəl/ |
| stasis | The country's economy has been in a state of stasis for several years. | /ˈsteɪsɪs/ |
| termination | His contract was up for termination due to poor performance. | /ˌtɜːmɪˈneɪʃn/ |
| terminus | The train reached its terminus at the end of the line. | /ˈtɜːmɪnəs/ |
| throwback | With his old-fashioned values, he was a throwback to a bygone era. | /ˈθrəʊbæk/ |
| trajectory | The rocket's trajectory was carefully calculated. | /trəˈdʒektəri/ |
| twilight | In the twilight of his career, the veteran actor gave his greatest performance.
Word Partners: the twilight of one's career
|
/ˈtwaɪlaɪt/ |
| upsurge | There has been an upsurge in violent crime in the area. | /ˈʌpsɜːdʒ/ |
| upturn | The economy is finally showing an upturn in fortune. | /ˈʌptɜːn/ |
| vestige | There was not a vestige of truth in his statement. | /ˈvestɪdʒ/ |
| vintage | This particular vintage of wine is considered exceptional. | /ˈvɪntɪdʒ/ |
| vogue | The style of architecture is now back in vogue.
Word Partners: in vogue, the vogue for
|
/vəʊɡ/ |
