in·stinct ( ¹n"st¹ngkt") n. 1. An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals. 2. A powerful motivation or impulse. 3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy. adj. ( ¹n-st¹ngkt") 1. Deeply filled or imbued: words instinct with love. 2. Obsolete Impelled from within. [Middle English from Latin ºnstºnctus impulse, from past participle ofºnstinguereto incite in- intensive pref.; See in- 2 stinguere to prick; See steig- in Indo-European Roots.]

steig- . Important derivatives are: stitch stick etiquette ticket distinguish instinct stigma tiger instigate steak To stick; pointed. Partly blended with stegh- . I. Zero-grade form *stig- . 1. STICKLEBACK , from Old English sticel , a prick, sting, from Germanic suffixed form *stik-ilaz . 2. Suffixed form *stig-i- . STITCH , from Old English stice , a sting, prick, from Germanic *stikiz . 3. STICK , from Old English sticca , stick, from Germanic expressive form *stikk ½n-. 4. ( ETIQUETTE ), TICKET , from Old French estiquier , to stick, from Germanic stative *stikk ¶n, " to be stuck. " 5. SNICKERSNEE , from Middle Dutch steken , to stick, stab, from Germanic blended variant *stekan . 6. Nasalized form *sti-n-g- . DISTINGUISH , EXTINGUISH , INSTINCT , from Latin stinguere , to quench, perhaps originally to prick, and its apparent derivative distinguere , to separate (phonological and semantic transitions obscure). 7. Suffixed form *stig-yo- . STIGMA ; ASTIGMATISM , from Greek stizein , to prick, tattoo. 8. Suffixed reduced form *tig-ro- . TIGER , from Greek tigris , tiger (from its stripes), from the same Iranian source as Old Persian tigra- , sharp, pointed, and Avestan tighri- , arrow. II. Basic form *steig- . INSTIGATE , from Latin º nstºg³re, to urge, from -st ºg³re, to spur on, prod. III. Suffixed o-grade form *stoig- ³-. STEAK , from Old Norse steik , roast, steak, and steikja , to roast (on a spit), from Germanic *staik ½.[ Pokorny steig- 1016. ]

war·y ( wâr"¶) adj. war·i·er war·i·est 1. On guard; watchful: taught to be wary of strangers. 2. Characterized by caution: a wary glance at the black clouds. [Middle English ware from Old English wær;See wer- 3 in Indo-European Roots.] war "i·ly adv. war "i·ness n.

been ( b¹n) v. 1. Past participle of be .

be ( b¶) v. First and third person singular past indicative was ( w¾z, w ¼z)( w…z )when unstressed second person singular and plural and first and third person plural past indicative were ( wûr) past subjunctive were past participle been ( b¹n) present participle be·ing ( b¶"¹ng) first person singular present indicative am ( ²m) second person singular and plural and first and third person plural present indicative are ( är) third person singular present indicative is ( ¹z) present subjunctive be v. intr. 1. To exist in actuality; have life or reality: I think, therefore I am. 2. a. To occupy a specified position: The food is on the table. b. To remain in a certain state or situation undisturbed, untouched, or unmolested: Let the children be. 3. To take place; occur: The test was yesterday. 4. To go or come: Have you ever been to Italy? Have you been home recently? 5. Usage Problem Used as a copula in such senses as: a. To equal in identity: " To be a Christian was to be a Roman " James Bryce b. To have a specified significance: A is excellent, C is passing. Let n be the unknown quantity. c. To belong to a specified class or group: The human being is a primate. d. To have or show a specified quality or characteristic: She is lovely. All men are mortal. e. To seem to consist or be made of: The yard is all snow. He is all bluff and no bite. 6. To belong; befall: Peace be unto you. Woe is me. v. aux. 1. Used with the past participle of a transitive verb to form the passive voice: The mayoral election is held annually. 2. Used with the present participle of a verb to express a continuing action: We are working to improve housing conditions. 3. Used with the infinitive of a verb to express intention, obligation, or future action: She was to call before she left. You are to make the necessary changes. 4. Archaic Used with the past participle of certain intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense: " Where be those roses gone which sweetened so our eyes? " Philip Sidney [Middle English ben from Old English b¶on;See bheu …- in Indo-European Roots.See am 1 , is , etc. for links to other Indo-European roots]

Synonyms: be breathe exist live subsist The central meaning shared by these verbs is " to have life or reality ": Her parents are no more. A nicer person has never breathed. He is one of the worst actors who ever existed. Human beings cannot live without food and water. The benevolence subsisting in her character draws her friends closer to her.

Usage Note: Traditional grammar requires the nominative form of the pronoun in the predicate of the verb be : It is I (not me ); That must be they (not them ), and so forth. Even literate speakers of Modern English have found the rule difficult to conform to, but the stigmatization of It is me is by now so deeply lodged among the canons of correctness that there is little likelihood that the construction will ever be entirely acceptable in formal writing. Adherence to the traditional rule in informal speech, however, has come to sound increasingly pedantic, and begins to sound absurd when the verb is contracted, as in It's we. · The traditional rule creates particular problems when the pronoun following be also functions as the object of a verb or preposition in a relative clause, as in It is not them/they that we have in mind when we talk about " crime in the streets " nowadays, where the plural pronoun serves as both the predicate of is and the object of have. In this example, 57 percent of the Usage Panel preferred the nominative form they, 33 percent preferred the accusative them, and 10 percent accepted both versions. But H.W. Fowler, like other authorities, argued that the use of the nominative here is an error caused by " the temptation . . . to assume, perhaps from hearing It is me corrected to It is I, that a subjective [nominative] case cannot be wrong after the verb to be. " Writers can usually find a way to avoid this problem: They are not the ones we have in mind, We have someone else in mind, and so on. See note at I 1 we .

keen 1 ( k¶n) adj. keen·er keen·est 1. Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point. 2. Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See note at sharp . 3. Acutely sensitive: a keen ear. 4. Sharp; vivid; strong: " His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting " Richard Wright 5. Intense; piercing: a keen wind. 6. Pungent; acrid: A keen smell of skunk was left behind. 7. a. Ardent; enthusiastic: a keen chess player. b. Eagerly desirous: keen on going to Europe in the spring. See note at eager 1 . 8. Slang Great; splendid; fine: What a keen day! [Middle English kene from Old English c¶ne brave] keen "ly adv. keen "ness n.

keen 2 ( k¶n) n. 1. A loud, wailing lament for the dead. v. intr. keened keen·ing keens 1. To wail in lamentation, especially for the dead. See note at cry . [From Irish Gaelic caoineadh from caoninim I lament from Old Irish coínim] keen "er n.

peen ( p¶n) n. 1. The end of a hammerhead opposite the flat striking surface, often wedge-shaped or ball-shaped and used for chipping, indenting, and metalworking. v. tr. peened peen·ing peens 1. To hammer, bend, or shape with a peen. [Probably of Scandinavian origin]

seen ( s¶n) v. 1. Past participle of see 1 .

see 1 ( s¶) v. saw ( sô) seen ( s¶n) see·ing sees v. tr. 1. To perceive with the eye. 2. a. To apprehend as if with the eye. b. To detect by means analogous to use of the eye: an electronic surveillance camera that saw the activity in the embassy yard. 3. To have a mental image of; visualize: They could still see their hometown as it once was. 4. To understand; comprehend: I see your point. 5. To consider to be; regard: Many saw her as a world leader. 6. To believe possible; imagine: I don't see him as a teacher. 7. To foresee: I see great things for that child. 8. To know through firsthand experience; undergo: " He saw some service on the king's side " Tucker Brooke 9. To give rise to or be characterized by: " Her long reign saw the heyday of verbal humor " Richard Kain " The 1930s saw the development of sulfa drugs and penicillin " Gregg Easterbrook 10. To find out; ascertain: Please see who's knocking. 11. Abbr. s. To refer to; read: Persons interested in the book's history should see page one of the preface. 12. To take note of; recognize: She sees only the good aspects of the organization. 13. To meet or be in the company of: I saw all my aunts and uncles at the reunion. 14. To share the companionship of often or regularly: He's been seeing the same woman for eight years. 15. a. To visit socially; call on. b. To visit for consultation: You ought to see your doctor more frequently. 16. To admit or receive, as for consultation or a social visit: The doctor will see you now. 17. To attend; view: Let's see a movie. 18. To escort; attend: I'm seeing Nellie home. 19. To make sure; take care: See that it gets done right away. 20. Games a. To meet (a bet) in card games. b. To meet the bet of (another player). v. intr. 1. To have the power to perceive with or as if with the eye. 2. To understand; comprehend. 3. To consider: Let's see, which suitcase should we take? 4. a. To go and look: She had to see for herself and went into the garage. b. To ascertain; find out: We probably can do it, but we'll have to see. 5. To have foresight: " No man can see to the end of time " John F. Kennedy 6. To take note.

Phrasal Verbs: see about 1. To attend to. 2. To investigate. see after 1. To take care of: Please see after the children while I'm gone. see off 1. To take leave of (someone): saw the guests off at the door; went to the airport to see us off. see out 1. To escort (a guest) to the door: Will you please see Ms. Smith out? see through 1. To understand the true character or nature of: We saw through his superficial charm. 2. To provide unstinting support, cooperation, or management in good times and bad: We'll see you through until you finish your college education. I saw the project through and then resigned. see to 1. To attend to: See to the chores, will you?

Idioms: see red Informal 1. To be extremely angry. [Middle English sen from Old English s¶on;See sek w - 2 in Indo-European Roots.]

Synonyms: see behold note notice espy descry observe contemplate survey view perceive discern remark These verbs refer to being or becoming visually or mentally aware of something. See, the most general, can mean merely to use the faculty of sight but more often implies recognition, understanding, or appreciation: " We must . . . give the image of what we actually see " (Paul Cézanne). " If I have seen further (than . . . Descartes) it is by standing upon the shoulders of Giants " (Isaac Newton). Behold more strongly implies awareness of what is seen: " My heart leaps up when I behold/A rainbow in the sky " (William Wordsworth). Note and notice suggest close observation and a rather detailed visual or mental impression; note in particular implies careful, systematic recording in the mind: Be careful to note where the road turns left. I have noted and overridden your protests. She didn't notice the run in her stocking until she had arrived at the office. I notice that you're out of sorts. Espy and descry both stress acuteness of sight that permits the detection of something distant, partially hidden, or obscure: " espied the misspelled Latin word in [the] letter " (Los Angeles Times); " the lighthouse, which can be descried from a distance " (Michael Strauss). Observe emphasizes careful, closely directed attention: " I saw the pots . . . red-hot . . . and observed that they did not crack at all " (Daniel Defoe). Contemplate implies looking attentively and thoughtfully: " It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes " (Charles Darwin). Survey stresses detailed, often comprehensive examination: " Strickland looked away and idly surveyed the ceiling " (W. Somerset Maugham). View usually suggests examination with a particular purpose in mind or in a special way: The medical examiner viewed the victim's body. " He [man] viewed the crocodile as a thing sometimes to worship, but always to run away from " (Thomas De Quincey). Perceive and discern both imply not only visual recognition but also mental comprehension; perceive is especially associated with insight, and discern, with the ability to distinguish, discriminate, and make judgments: " We perceived a little girl coming towards us " (Frederick Marryat). " I plainly perceive [that] some objections remain " (Edmund Burke). Even with a magnifying glass I couldn't discern any imperfections in the porcelain. Many in the audience lack the background and taste to discern a good performance of the sonata from a bad one. Remark suggests close attention and often an evaluation of what is noticed: " Their assemblies afforded me daily opportunities of remarking characters and manners " (Samuel Johnson).

teen 1 ( t¶n) n. 1. teens a. The numbers 13 through 19. b. The 13th through 19th items in a series or scale, as years of a century or degrees of temperature. 2. A teenager. adj. 1. Teenage.

teen 2 ( t¶n) n. Archaic 1. Misery; grief. [Middle English tene from Old English t¶ona]

ween ( w¶n) v. tr. weened ween·ing weens Archaic 1. To think; suppose. [Middle English wenen from Old English w¶nan;See wen- 1 in Indo-European Roots.]

wen- 1 . Important derivatives are: win winsome wont wean 1 wish venerate venereal Venus venom venial venison To desire, strive for. I. 1. Suffixed form *wen-w- . WIN , from Old English winnan , to win, from Germanic *winn(w)an , to seek to gain. 2. Suffixed zero-grade form *w ö-y³. WYNN , WINSOME , from Old English wynn , wen , pleasure, joy, from Germanic *wunj ½. 3. Suffixed (stative) zero-grade form *w ö-¶-, to be contented. WON 1 , ( WONT ), from Old English wunian , to become accustomed to, dwell, from Germanic *wun ¶n. 4. Suffixed (causative) o-grade form *won-eyo- . WEAN , from Old English wenian , to accustom, train, wean, from Germanic *wanjan . 5. WEEN , from Old English w ¶nan, to expect, imagine, think, from Germanic denominative *w ¶njan, to hope, from *w ¶niz, hope. 6. Suffixed zero-grade form *w ö-sko-. WISH , from Old English w þscan, to desire, wish, from Germanic *wunsk- . 7. Perhaps o-grade *won- . a. VANIR , from Old Norse Vanir , the Vanir; b. VANADIUM , from Old Norse Vanad ºs, name of the goddess Freya. Both a and b from Germanic *wana- . 8. Suffixed form *wen-es- . a. VENERATE , VENEREAL , VENERY 1 , VENUS , from Latin venus , love; b. suffixed form *wen-es-no- . VENOM , from Latin ven ¶num, love potion, poison. 9. Possibly suffixed form *wen-eto- , " beloved." WEND , from Old High German Winid , Wend, from Germanic *Weneda- , a Slavic people. 10. Suffixed form *wen-y ³. VENIAL , from Latin venia , favor, forgiveness. 11. Lengthened-grade form *w ¶n-³-. VENATIC , VENERY 2 , VENISON , from Latin v ¶n³rº, to hunt. 12. Suffixed basic form *wen-o- . WANDEROO , from Sanskrit vanam , forest. 13. Possibly zero-grade suffixed form *w ö-ig-. BANYAN , from Sanskrit va ñik, v ³ñija¡/, merchant (? < " seeking to gain ").[ Pokorny 1. ø en- 1146. ]