Published on

unformed speculation sheriff lineages hereditary

unformed

un·formed /ˌʌnˈfɔːmd◂ $ -ɔːr-/ adjective

not yet developed

  • the unformed mind of a child

speculation

spec·u·la·tion /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃən, ˌspekjʊˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]

  1. when you guess about the possible causes or effects of something without knowing all the facts, or the guesses you make
    • speculation that
      • There is speculation that the president is ill.
    • speculation about/on
      • speculation about the future
      • The witness's statement was pure speculation (=not based on any knowledge).
    • wild/idel speculation (=speculation that is unlikely to be true)
  2. when you try to make a large profit by buying goods, property, SHAREs etc and then selling them
    • property speculation

sheriff

sher·iff /ˈʃerəf, ˈʃerɪf/ noun [countable]

  1. an elected law officer of a country in US
  2. (also High Sheriff) the representative of the king or queen in a country of England and Wales, who has mostly ceremonial duties.
  3. the most important judge in a district or country in Scotland.

lineages

lin·e·age /ˈlɪni-ɪdʒ/ noun [uncountable and countable]

formal the way in which members of a family are descended from other members

  • a family of ancient lineage

hereditary

he·red·i·ta·ry /həˈredətəri, hɪˈredətəri $ -teri/ adjective

  1. a quality or illness that is hereditary is passed from a parent before the child is born
  2. British English a hereditary position, rank, or title can be passed from an older to a younger person in the same family, usually when the old one dies.

References

  • Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English