prestige

n. 威望; 威信 [reputation or influence arising from success, achievement, rank, or other favorable attributes.]

  wiki: Originally, prestige referred to pomposity, which was taken as a sign of poor taste. In this regard, the word had strictly negative connotations. Indeed, the root of the word "prestige" comes from the Latin præstigum, meaning a delusion or a trick.

Movie: The Prestige (頂尖對決)

The rivalry between two magicians is exacerbated when one of them performs the ultimate illusion.

prestigious

adj. [having status or glamour; impressive or influential]

  ex. the most prestigious schools in the country

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review

postulate、posit  有事實根據的假設、較肯定。

postulate and posit denote the assertion of the existence, reality, necessity, or truth of something as the basis for reasoning or argument:

"We postulate that light speed is constant, because it could explain many results of experiment"

我們假設光速是恆定的，因為它可以解釋很多實驗的結果

assume  無事實根據的假設。

To assume is to accept something as existing or being true without proof or on inconclusive grounds

"We assume he won't be angry"

[我們假設他不會生氣]

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presume    (prɪˈzjuːm)

pre-sume(to take)

v. 假設 

To presume is to suppose that something is reasonable or possible in the absence of proof

v.冒昧地做某事; 膽敢做某事 [be so bold as to do sth]

  ex. I won't presume to disturb you. 我不敢打擾你.

The famous quote "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

Dr. Livingstone, I presume
Stepping out of the jungle gloom
Into the midday sun.
What did you find there?
Did you stand awhile and stare?
Did you meet anyone?

"I've seen butterflies galore,
I've seen people big and small,
I've still not found what I'm looking for."

We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.

Captain Scott, you were so bold,
Now you're looking rather cold
Out there in the snow.
What did you find there?
Did you stand awhile and stare?
Did you meet anyone?

"I've seen polar bears and seals,
I've seen giant Antarctic eels,
I've still not found what I'm looking for."

We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.

Columbus, where are you bound?
So you think the world is round.
Sailed off in the blue.
What did you find there?
Did you stand awhile and stare?
Did you meet anyone?

"There are Indians by the score
In many places that I saw.
I've still not found what I'm looking for."

We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.
We're all looking for someone.

presumption

pre-sum(take)-p-tion

n. [presuming sth to be true or the case]

n.放肆; 傲慢 [behaviour that is too bold; arrogance]

presupposition

pre-suppose-ition

n. [sth is supposed beforehand]

n. [sth is required as an antecedent in logic or fact ]

from wiki: In the branch of linguistics known as pragmatics, a presupposition (or ps) is an implicit assumption about the world or background belief relating to an utterance whose truth is taken for granted in discourse.

  ps. 就是「複雜問句」的隱含假設

  ex. 比方說，你想問A先生有沒有女朋友，你可以先閒聊自己的朋友，然後再"不經意"的問對方『那你跟你女朋友有沒有去過xxx阿』。這個問句，有個隱藏的假設(presupposition)--就是A先生已經有女朋友了。

  如果A先生說：『我們還沒去過』...那意思就是目前A先生死會了

pretend

v.假裝 [ make oneself appear to be (doing) sth in order to deceive others or in play ]

  ex. She pretended (that) she was not at home when we rang the bell. 我們按門鈴時, 她假裝不在家.

v. [to claim, represent, or assert falsely]

  ex. His pretended friendship was part of the deception. 他所謂的友誼是一種騙局.

字源：from L. prætendere  "stretch in front, put forward, allege," from præ-  "before" + tendere  "to stretch".
Main modern sense of "feign, put forward a false claim" is recorded from 1412;  Meaning "to play, make believe" is recorded from 1865.

pretension

n. [a false or unsupportable claim, esp to merit, worth, or importance]

  ex. a writer with serious pretensions to literary greatness. (This writer thinks he's a great writer, but he most likely isn't)

pretentious   (prɪˈtɛnʃəs)

adj. [claiming (esp without justification) merit or importance; pompous or showy]

  ex. a pretentious writer, book, style
  自我炫耀的作家﹑ 書﹑ 文風

  ps. A piece in Time Out New York railed against "pretentious gallerists and collectors who buy and sell graffiti-inspired art." These people, the writer means to suggest, think they know more about art than they really do.

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 字根

tend，tens，tent是stretch,拉的意思

 

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preternatural    (ˌpriːtəˈnætʃrəl)

preter(beyond)-natural

adj. [beyond what is ordinarily found in nature; abnormal]

 ex. a preternatural gift for knowing what others are thinking.

字源： from L. phrase præter naturam (præterque fatum)  "beyond nature (and beyond fate)," from præter  "beyond" + acc. of natura  "nature" .

pretext

pre-text(to weave)

n.藉口 [something that is put forward to conceal a true purpose or object; an ostensible reason; excuse]

  ex. We'll have to find a pretext for not going to the party. 我們不去參加聚會得找個藉口才是.

prevail

pre-vail(from L. valere; having power)

v. [to be widespread or current; exist everywhere or generally]

  ex. Silence prevailed along the funeral route.

v. [to gain ascendancy through strength or superiority, triumph]

v. [to use persuasion successfully]

ps. 還記得value嗎，value的val就是power, strength的意思唷

review

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字根val、vail 是strong強壯和worth價值的意思

valiant     adj.勇敢的 [brave and determined, though may lead to failure or defeat]

valorous    adj.勇敢的=valiant

gallant     adj.勇敢的 [brave and honorable in a dangerous or difficult situation.]

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prevaricate   (prɪˈværɪˌkeɪt)

v.支吾; 搪塞 [try to avoid telling the (whole) truth by speaking in an evasive or a misleading way; equivocate]

  ex. British ministers continued to prevaricate.

聯想：pre + vary + icate