Unit 2: Art & Architecture

install /ɪnˈstɔːl / verb [ transitive ]

1. to put a piece of equipment somewhere and connect it so that it is ready to be used :
 Security cameras have been installed in the city centre.
2. to add new software to a computer so that it is ready to be used OPP uninstall :
 We’ve installed new anti-virus software.

installation /ˌɪnstəˈleɪʃən / noun

1. [uncountable ] when someone fits a piece of equipment somewhere :
 the installation and maintenance of alarm systems
2. [countable] a piece of modern art which can include objects, light, sound etc

concept /ˈkɒnsept / noun [ countable ] an idea of how something is, or how something should be
done
 a new concept
 Part of a teacher’s job is to introduce new concepts to students.
 a basic/fundamental/ key/central/important/ difficult/ simple concept
 The children are taught the basic concepts of mathematics.
 Difficult concepts can sometimes be explained by diagrams or graphs.
 a general/broad/ abstract concept
 The book begins with some general historical concepts.
 He finds it hard to grasp abstract concepts.

groundbreaking / ˈɡraʊndˌbreɪkɪŋ / adjective groundbreaking work involves making new

discoveries, using new methods etc :
 groundbreaking research

abstract /ˈæbstrækt / adjective

1. based on general ideas or principles rather than specific examples or real events SYN
theoretical
 abstract idea/concept etc
 the ability to translate abstract ideas into words
 By the age of seven, children are capable of thinking in abstract terms .
2. existing only as an idea or quality rather than as something real that you can see or touch OPP
concrete
 the abstract nature of beauty
3. abstract paintings, designs etc consist of shapes and patterns that do not look like real people
or things

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sculpture / ˈskʌlptʃə / noun [ uncountable and countable ] an object made out of stone, wood,
clay etc by an artist
 sculpture of
 a sculpture of an elephant
 an exhibition of sculpture
 a stone/marble/bronze etc sculpture (= made of stone, marble etc )
 Opposite the chapel is a bronze sculpture of Cardinal Schwarzenberg.
 make/create/produce a sculpture a sculpture
 He will be making a new sculpture for the exhibition.

cast noun [ countable ] a mould (= hollow container ) into which you pour liquid metal, plastic etc
in order to make an object of a particular shape, or the object made in this way
 cast of
 Make a cast of the statue.

innovate / ˈɪnəveɪt / verb [ intransitive and transitive ] to start to use new ideas, methods, or
inventions :
 the need for large businesses to innovate
 The company has successfully innovated new products and services.

innovation /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən / noun [ countable & uncountable ] a new idea, method, or invention
 innovation in
 recent innovations in English teaching
 We must encourage innovation if the company is to remain competitive.

innovative / ˈɪnəvətɪv / adjective an innovative idea or way of doing something is new, different,
and better than those that existed before :
 an innovative approach to language teaching
 innovative schemes for recycling waste materials

exhibit / ɪɡˈzɪbət, ɪɡˈzɪbɪt / verb

1. [ intransitive and transitive ] to show something in a public place so that people can go to see it
SYN show
 Her paintings have been exhibited all over the world.
2. [ transitive ] formal to clearly show a particular quality, emotion, or ability SYN display
 exhibit signs/symptoms/behaviour etc
 a patient who is exhibiting classic symptoms of mental illness

exhibit noun [ countable ] something, for example a painting, that is put in a public place so that
people can go to see it
 The exhibits date from the 17th century.
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exhibition /ˌeksəˈbɪʃən, ˌeksɪˈbɪʃən / noun
1. [ countable ] a show of paintings, photographs, or other objects that people can go to see
 exhibition of
 an exhibition of black and white photographs
 stage/mount/hold etc an exhibition
 The museum is staging an exhibition of Picasso’s work.
2. [ uncountable ] when something such as a painting is shown in a public place
 exhibition of
 She never agreed to the public exhibition of her sculptures while she was still alive.
 on exhibition
 A collection of paintings by David Hockney is on exhibition at the Museum of Art.

encompass / ɪnˈkʌmpəs / verb [ transitive ] formal

1. to include a wide range of ideas, subjects, etc :
 The study encompasses the social, political, and economic aspects of the situation.
2. to completely cover or surround something :
 The houses encompassed about 100 square metres.

discard /dɪsˈkɑːd / verb [ transitive ] to get rid of something SYN throw away :
 Discard any old cleaning materials.

impact /ˈɪmpækt / noun [ countable ] the effect or influence that an event, situation etc has on
someone or something
 impact (of something) (on/upon something)
 Scientists are calculating the long-term impact of the floods.
 The expansion of the airport would have a negative impact on the environment.
 major/significant/profound/huge/enormous/massive/positive/negative/adverse etc
impact
 His leg injury had a disastrous impact on his career as a footballer.
 Population growth has a profound impact on world food demand.
 The loss of forests has had an adverse impact on bird populations.
 reduce/lessen/soften the impact of something (= make it less severe or unpleasant )
 The chemical industry is looking at ways to reduce its impact on the environment.

household adjective [ only before noun ]

1. relating to looking after a house and the people in it SYN domestic
 household goods/products/items etc
 washing powder and other household products
 household chores
2. be a household name/word to be very well known :
 Coca-Cola is a household name around the world.
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household / ˈhaʊshəʊld / noun [ countable ] all the people who live together in one house
 A growing number of households have at least one computer.

heritage /ˈherətɪdʒ, ˈherɪtɪdʒ / noun [ singular, uncountable ] the traditional beliefs, values,
customs etc of a family, country, or society
 the importance of preserving the national heritage
 beautiful old buildings which are part of our heritage
 cultural/architectural/literary etc heritage
 the cultural heritage of Italy

inspiring / ɪnˈspaɪərɪŋ / adjective giving people a feeling of excitement and a desire to do

something great OPP uninspiring
 King was a great orator and an inspiring leader.

inspire / ɪnˈspaɪə / verb [ transitive ]

1. to encourage someone by making them feel confident and eager to do something :
 We need someone who can inspire the team.
 inspire somebody to do something
 He inspired many young people to take up the sport.
 inspire somebody to something
 I hope this success will inspire you to greater efforts.
2. to give someone the idea for something, especially a story, painting, poem etc :
 The story was inspired by a chance meeting with an old Russian duke.

inspiration / ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən / noun [ uncountable and countable ]

1. a good idea about what you should do, write, say etc, especially one which you get suddenly
 The Malvern Hills have provided inspiration for many artists and musicians over the
decades.
 He raised his eyes to the altar as if seeking inspiration .
 He draws inspiration from ordinary scenes.
 Mary Quant’s inspiration comes from the glam style of the seventies.
 He has always been a source of inspiration for me.
2. a person, experience, place etc that gives you new ideas for something you do :
 inspiration for/behind
 He was the inspiration for Wordsworth’s poem ‘The Old Huntsman’.
3. be an inspiration to somebody to make someone feel encouraged to be as good, successful
etc as possible :
 People like Tara are an inspiration to us all.

ˌblue-ˈcollar adjective [ only before noun ] blue-collar workers do physical work, rather than
working in offices → white-collar , pink-collar
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enrol /ɪnˈrəʊl / verb [ intransitive and transitive ] to officially arrange to join a school, university,
or course, or to arrange for someone else to do this
 enrol on/for British English :
 I decided to enrol for ‘Art for Beginners’.

enrolment /ɪnˈrəʊlmənt / noun

1. [ uncountable ] the process of arranging to join a school, university, course etc :
 Enrolment will take place in September.
2. [ countable ] the number of people who have arranged to join a school, university, course etc :
 Student enrolments have more than doubled.

gravitate / ˈɡrævəteɪt, ˈɡrævɪteɪt / verb [ intransitive always + adverb/preposition ] formal to be

attracted to something and therefore move towards it or become involved with it
 gravitate to/towards
 Most visitors to London gravitate to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

take over (from something)to become bigger or more important than something else; to
replace something
 It has been suggested that mammals took over from dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
 In your teens, peer-group friendships may take over from parents as the major influence on
you.

avant-garde / ˌævɒŋ ˈɡɑːd/ adjective avant-garde music, literature etc is extremely modern and
often seems strange or slightly shocking
 an avant-garde play

common noun
 have something in common (with somebody) to have the same interests, attitudes etc as
someone else :
 four women with almost nothing in common
 have something in common (with something) if objects or ideas have something in
common, they share the same features :
 The two games have much in common.
 in common with somebody/something in the same way as someone or something else :
 In common with a lot of other countries, we’re in an economic recession.
embrace / ɪmˈbreɪs / verb
1. [ intransitive and transitive ] to put your arms around someone and hold them in a friendly or
loving way SYN hug :
 Jack warmly embraced his son.
2. [ transitive ] formal to eagerly accept a new idea, opinion, religion etc :
 We hope these regions will embrace democratic reforms.
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orthodoxy /ˈɔːθədɒksi / noun ( plural orthodoxies ) [ uncountable and countable ] an idea or set
of ideas that is accepted by most people to be correct and right
 He challenged the political orthodoxy of his time.

incorporate / ɪnˈkɔːpəreɪt / verb [ transitive ] to include something as part of a group, system,

plan etc
 incorporate something into/in something
 We’ve incorporated many environmentally friendly features into the design of the building.

incorporation / ɪnˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃən / noun [ uncountable ] :

 the incorporation of the college into the university

disparate / ˈdɪspərət / adjective formal consisting of things or people that are very different and
not related to each other
 the difficulties of dealing with disparate groups of people

depict / dɪˈpɪkt / verb [ transitive ] formal to describe something or someone in writing or speech,
or to show them in a painting, picture etc :
 a book depicting life in pre-revolutionary Russia
 depict somebody/something as something
 The god is depicted as a bird with a human head.

depiction / dɪˈpɪkʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable and countable ]

confound / kənˈfaʊnd / verb [ transitive ]

1. to confuse and surprise people by being unexpected :
 His amazing recovery confounded the medical specialists.
2. to prove someone or something wrong
 confound the critics/pundits/experts etc
 United’s new striker confounded the critics with his third goal in as many games.

cement /sɪˈment/ verb [ transitive ]

1. (also cement over) to cover something with cement
2. to make a relationship between people, countries, or organizations firm and strong
 cement a relationship/alliance
 They want to cement a good working relationship between the government and trade
unions.

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credentials /krɪˈdenʃə lz / noun [ plural ] someone’s education, achievements, experience etc
that prove they have the ability to do something
 credentials for/as
 She had excellent credentials for the job.
 There are doubts over his credentials as a future Prime Minister.

status quo /ˌsteɪtəs ˈkwəʊ / noun the status quo the state of a situation as it is
 maintain/preserve/defend the status quo (= not make any changes )
 Will the West use its influence to maintain the status quo and not disrupt the flow of oil?

content / kənˈtent / adjective [ not before noun ] happy and satisfied :

 Andy was a good husband, and Nicky was clearly very content.
 content with
 Sam was quite content with his life on the farm.

subvert / səbˈvɜːt / verb [ transitive ] formal

1. to try to destroy the power and influence of a government or the established system
 an attempt to subvert the democratic process
2. to destroy someone’s beliefs or loyalty

conventional / kənˈvenʃ ə nəl / adjective

1. [ only before noun ] a conventional method, product, practice etc has been used for a long time
and is considered the usual type :
 Internet connections through conventional phone lines are fairly slow.
2. always following the behaviour and attitudes that most people in a society consider to be
normal, right, and socially acceptable, so that you seem slightly boring :
 conventional in
 He is conventional in his approach to life.

collabo‧rate / kəˈlæbəreɪt / verb [ intransitive ] to work together with a person or group in order
to achieve something, especially in science or art → collaborator
 collaborate (with somebody)( on something)
 The two nations are collaborating on several satellite projects.
 During the late seventies, he collaborated with the legendary Muddy Waters.
 collaborate to do something
 Researchers are collaborating to develop the vaccine.
 collaborate in (doing) something
 Elephants collaborate in looking after their young.

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dabble /ˈdæb ə l / verb [ intransitive ] to do something or be involved in something in a way that
is not very serious
 dabble in/at/with
 people who dabble in painting as a way of relaxing

prolific / prəˈlɪfɪk / adjective a prolific artist, writer etc produces many works of art, books etc :
 a prolific author
 Picasso was extremely prolific during his Cubist years.

court verb [ transitive ]

1. to try hard to please someone, especially because you want something from them :
 His campaign team have assiduously courted the media.
2. to try to obtain something
 He has never courted popularity.

limelight / ˈlaɪmlaɪt / noun [ singular, uncountable ] a situation in which someone receives a lot
of attention, especially from newspapers, television etc
 in/out of the limelight
 Tad loves being in the limelight.
 The president’s wife wanted to stay out of the limelight.
 She’s afraid this new actor will steal the limelight from her.

diminish / dəˈmɪnɪʃ, dɪˈmɪnɪʃ / verb

1. [intransitive and transitive] to become or make something become smaller or less SYN reduce
 These drugs diminish blood flow to the brain.
2. [ transitive ] to deliberately make someone or something appear less important or valuable
than they really are :
 Don’t let him diminish your achievements.
 But that’s not to diminish the importance of his discoveries.

reproduce / ˌriːprəˈdjuːs / verb

1. [intransitive and transitive ] if an animal or plant reproduces, or reproduces itself, it produces
young plants or animals :
 The turtles return to the coast to reproduce.
2. [transitive] to make a photograph or printed copy of something :
 Klimt’s artwork is reproduced in this exquisite book.

reproducible adjective

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idealise / aɪˈdɪəlaɪz / verb [ transitive ] to imagine or represent something or someone as being
perfect or better than they really are
 Society continues to idealize the two-parent family.

portray / pɔːˈtreɪ / verb [ transitive ]

1. portray somebody/something as something to describe or show someone or something in a
particular way, according to your opinion of them SYN depict :
 Romantic artists portrayed nature as wild and powerful.
 The President likes to portray himself as a friend of working people.
2. to describe or represent something or someone SYN depict :
 His most famous painting portrayed the death of Nelson.

interpret / ɪnˈtɜːprət, ɪnˈtɜːprɪt/ verb

1. [ intransitive and transitive ] to translate spoken words from one language into another :
 They spoke good Spanish, and promised to interpret for me.
2. [ transitive ] to believe that something someone does or something that happens has a
particular meaning
 interpret something as something
 His refusal to work late was interpreted as a lack of commitment to the company.
3. [ transitive ] to explain the meaning of something :
 Freud’s attempts to interpret the meaning of dreams

fragment / ˈfræɡmənt / noun [ countable ] a small piece of something that has broken off or that
comes from something larger
 glass fragments
 They found fragments of bone.

elongated / ˈiːlɒŋɡeɪtəd / adjective longer than normal :

 The picture shows two elongated figures dancing.

textured / ˈtekstʃəd / adjective having a surface that is not smooth

 textured wallpaper

distort / dɪˈstɔːt / verb

1. [intransitive and transitive] to change the appearance, sound, or shape of something so that it
is strange or unclear
 Tall buildings can distort radio signals.
2. [ transitive ] to report something in a way that is not completely true or correct :
 His account was badly distorted by the press.

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distorted adjective :
 His face was distorted in anger.

distortion / dɪˈstɔːʃən / noun [ uncountable and countable ] :

 a gross distortion of the facts

immerse / ɪˈmɜːs / verb [ transitive ]

1. to put someone or something deep into a liquid so that they are completely covered
 immerse somebody/something in something
 Immerse your foot in ice cold water to reduce the swelling.
2. immerse yourself in something to become completely involved in an activity :
 She immersed herself in her work.

immersed adjective :
 She was far too immersed in her studies.

immersive /ɪˈmɜːsɪv/ adjective (of a game, performance, work of art, etc.) that seems to
surround the player or viewer so they feel totally involved in the experience, often by using three-
dimensional computer images
 Immersive games can be used for training and education.

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