Advanced Vocabulary List 24

commemorate: (verb) to remember and show respect (in a ceremony)
Veterans' Day is a day to commemorate soldiers who have honorably served their country.
devastate: (verb) to ruin or destroy
The city was devastated by the bombs.
disarmament: (noun) the reduction of military or weapons
The protestors called for a complete disarmament.
distraught: (adjective) very agitated and upset from mental conflict
Mary became distraught when she found out that her son was being sent into war.
embark: (verb) to start, begin
Max embarked on a career as a plumber.
envision: (verb) to imagine as a future possibility
Max never envisioned being a plumber.
excerpt: (noun) an extract (from film, writing, music, or other type of work)
The excerpts of the story published in the newspaper were very interesting.
forsake: (verb) to abandon
The town was forsaken by its former inhabitants because the nearby volcano threatened to erupt.
temperance: (noun) abstinence from drinking alcohol
Max has become an advocate of complete temperance.
vow: (verb) to solemnly promise
Max vowed to never drink another drop of alcohol again.