Sprout

to begin to grow, or to produce new growth:

 Our new seedlings have begun to sprout

absorb

to take in a liquid, gas, or chemical:

The black clay soil around here doesn’t absorb water very well.

fig. The country has absorbed millions of immigrants over the years.

cottage

› a small house, usually away from a city or town

 

 

 

 

Stain

to leave a mark on something that is difficult to remove, or to become colored or spoiled by a mark:

 If you stain wood, you put a substance on it that changes its color:

 Instead of painting the woodwork, she stained it dark brown

 Strawberry juice stained my shirt.

 This carpet is practical because it doesn’t stain easily.

Hearth

the floor of a fireplace, and often also the area in front of it

Timid

easily frightened; not brave or confident:

She was timid about swimming in deep water.

cushion

to soften or protect someone or something from the effects of a fall, moving too quickly into something, sitting or lying on a hard object, etc.

 The soft grass cushioned his fall (= made it hurt less).

Parcel

an object or collection of objects wrapped in paper; a package:

 A parcel of land is an area of it:

a 50-acre parcel on Lake Mead

a food parcel

Horrid

Horrid

very bad or unpleasant:

It was a horrid purple color which she detested.

Marigold

marigold

a plant with bright yellow or orange flowers

cockle

cockle

a small rounded sea creature with a shell, common in Europe, which can be eaten

Tease

to intentionally annoy a person or animal by saying something that is not true or pretending to do something, often in a playful way:

 Don’t tease the dog by showing her the treat if you’re not going to give it to her.

 I was only teasing ( joking), I didn’t mean anything by it.

landscape

a large area of countryside, usually one without many buildings or other things that are not natural

› A landscape is also a view or picture of the countryside:

She collects early twentieth century landscapes

Prose

 written language in its ordinary form rather than in the form of poems.

Profound

felt or experienced strongly; extreme:

The speech had a profound influence on her.

Camaraderie

a friendly feeling toward people with whom you share an experience or with whom you work:

For me mountain climbing is less about physical effort than about cooperation and camaraderie.

Bulky

too big and taking up too much space:

She carried a very bulky package on the bus.

Meticulous

giving or showing careful attention to every detail:

a meticulous housekeeper

meticulous research

Eccentricity

strange or unusual, sometimes in an amusing way:

eccentric behavior