Words / B1

URTHKW-ayk/ˈɜːθkweɪk/

An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the ground: a powerful earthquake; earthquake damage. Tremor is smaller. Tsunami may follow under the sea but is not the same word. Do not call a political shock an earthquake in a careful essay unless you mark it as metaphor. Aid and geology reports.

Meaning

A sudden, strong shaking of the ground.

Examples

• “The earthquake damaged schools across the region.”
• “A tremor is weaker than an earthquake, which is why the alert stayed yellow.”

Good to know

an earthquake; earthquake damage / risk. Smaller: a tremor. Related: tsunami (sea wave). Metaphor: a political earthquake (flag it).

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