| 1. fragrant (adj): having a pleasant or sweet smell |
Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice. |
| 2. biblical (adj): relating to or based on the Bible |
Cinnamon was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible. |
| 3. condiment (n): a substance, such as salt, that you add to food to improve its taste |
The ability to purchase an expensive condiment. |
| 4. exotic (adj): unusual and exciting because of coming a distant foreign country |
an expensive condiment from the exotic’ East. |
| 5. at someone’s disposal (phr): available to be used by someone |
At a banquet, a host would offer guests a plate with various spices piled upon it as a sign of the wealth at his or her disposal. |
| 6. the elite (n): the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society |
The European middle classes began to desire the lifestyle of the elite, including their consumption of spices. |
| 7. merchant (n): a person or business that buys and sells goods |
At that time, cinnamon was transported by Arab merchants. |
| 8. monopoly (n): complete control of an area of business |
The English arrived on Ceylon, thereby displacing the Dutch from their control of the cinnamon monopoly. |
| 9. exorbitant (adj): unreasonably high |
Because Venice had a virtual monopoly of the trade, the Venetians could set the price of cinnamon exorbitantly high. |
| 10. cultivation (n): the process of growing crops or plants |
Before Europeans arrived on the island, the state had organized the cultivation of cinnamon. |
| 11. ethnic (adj): relating to a particular race of people |
People belonging to the ethnic group called the Salagama would peel the bark off young shoots of the cinnamon plant in the rainy season. |
| 12. enslave (v): to make someone a slave |
When the Portuguese arrived, they enslaved many other members of the Ceylonese native population. |
| 13. ally yourself to/with sb (phr): to start to support someone |
The Dutch allied themselves with Kandy, an inland kingdom on Ceylon. |
| 14. expel (v): to force someone to leave a school, organization, or country |
By 1658, the Dutch had permanently expelled the Portuguese from the island. |
| 15. lucrative (adj): producing a lot of money |
gaining control of the lucrative cinnamon trade |
| 16. appetite (n): the feeling that you want to eat food |
Europe’s ever-increasing appetite for cinnamon |
| 17. supersede (v): to replace something, especially something older or more old-fashioned |
The spice trade overall was superseded by the rise of trade in coffee, tea. |
| 18. reinforce (v): to make stronger |
reinforce the bonds between prairie voles |
| 19. trigger (v): to cause something to start |
triggers the motherly behaviour |
| 20. empathetic (adj): showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of another |
One sniff of oxytocin can make a person more trusting, empathetic, generous and cooperative. |
| 21. emerge (v): to appear, to come out of something |
Oxytocin’s role in human behaviour first emerged in 2005. |
| 22. groundbreaking (adj): using new methods, innovative |
in a groundbreaking experiment. |
| 23. placebo (n): a substance that is not medicine but that a patient who is taking it believes is medicine, and so they get better |
The team found that participants who had sniffed oxytocin via a nasal spray beforehand invested more money than those who received a placebo instead. |
| 24. charitable (adj): kind, and not judging other people in a severe way |
People become more charitable, better at reading emotions on others’ faces. |
| 25. fuel (v): to make something increase or become stronger |
The results fuelled the view that oxytocin universally enhanced the positive aspects of our social nature. |
| 26. disposition (n): the particular type of character that a person naturally has |
a person’s disposition |
| 27. conduct (v): to organize and perform a particular activity |
studies conducted by Carolyn DeClerck of the University of Antwerp, Belgium |
| 28. favouritism (n): the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group |
Volunteers given oxytocin showed favouritism. |
| 29. bias (n): inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group |
It appears that oxytocin strengthens biases. |
| 30. goodwill (n): helpful, or cooperative feelings or attitude |
promoting general goodwill |
| 31. subtlety (n): a small but important detail |
There were signs of these subtleties from the start. |
| 32. take (no) notice of (phr): (not) pay attention; (not) show signs of interest |
Researchers took no notice of such findings. |
| 33. attuned (to) (adj): receptive or aware |
making people more attuned to their social environment. |
| 34. perplexing (adj): confusing, baffling, very puzzling |
Perhaps we should not be surprised that the oxytocin story has become more perplexing. |
| 35. manifest (v): show, demonstrate |
These basic processes could manifest in different ways. |
| 36. identify (v): to recognize |
Most managers can identify the major trends of the day. |
| 37. profound (adj): serious, showing serious thought and wise ideas |
recognize the less obvious but profound ways these trends are influencing consumers |
| 38. aspiration (n): something that you hope to achieve |
consumers’ aspirations, attitudes, and behaviors |
| 39. jeopardize (v): to put something in danger of being harmed or damaged |
They can jeopardize a company by ceding to rivals the opportunity to transform the industry. |
| 40. engender (v): to cause a feeling or attitude to exist |
engender new value propositions in their core markets |
| 41. adept (at) (adj): skillful |
adept at analyzing and exploiting trends |
| 42. opulence (n): great wealth or luxuriousness |
The Coach brand had been a symbol of opulence and luxury for nearly 70 years. |
| 43. downturn (n): a reduction in economic or business activity |
the economic downturn of 2008 |
| 44. mindset (n): a way of thinking about things |
Coach saw the new consumer mindset as an opportunity for innovation and renewal. |
| 45. commitment (n): a promise to do something, enthusiasm for something |
the company’s commitment to protecting the environment |
| 46. augment (v): to increase the size or value of something |
Tesco has augmented its business with these innovations. |
| 47. infuse (v): to fill someone or something with an emotion or quality |
infusing its value proposition with a green streak |
| 48. incorporate (v): to include something as part of something larger |
to incorporate elements of a seemingly irrelevant trend into one’s core offerings |
| 49. apparel (n): clothes of a special type |
a focus on athletic apparel |
| 50. reinvigorate (v): to strengthen something or someone |
The infuse-and-augment strategy will allow you to reinvigorate the category. |
