appetite / ptat, ptat / noun 1 countable usually singular, uncountable a desire for food : Her husband always had a huge appetite. Symptoms include tiredness and loss of appetite. 2 countable a desire or liking for a particular activity appetite for She has an amazing appetite for knowledge. People seem to have an insatiable appetite (= always wanting more of something ) for news of any kind. COLLOCATIONS ADJECTIVES a good/healthy appetite Growing children should have a healthy appetite. a big/huge/enormous appetite By the time Ron was 16 he had an enormous appetite. a poor appetite A poor appetite may be a sign of illness. a small appetite My aunt only had a small appetite. VERBS have an appetite Theres lots of food I hope you have a good appetite. lose your appetite She was so miserable that she completely lost her appetite. give somebody an appetite ( also stimulate your appetite formal ) The exercise and fresh air had given us an appetite. | The aroma of the herbs and spices helps stimulate the appetite. spoil/ruin your appetite (= make you not feel like eating a meal ) Dont give the children any more sweets it will spoil their appetite. PHRASES loss/lack of appetite Symptoms include fever and loss of appetite. | Im a bit worried about her lack of appetite. assert / st $ -rt / verb transitive 1 to state firmly that something is true : French cooking, she asserted, is the best in the world. assert that He asserted that nuclear power was a safe and non-polluting energy source. 2 assert your rights/independence/superiority etc to state very strongly your right to something : Native Americans asserting their rights to ancestral land 3 assert yourself to behave in a determined way and say clearly what you think : Women began to assert themselves politically. 4 assert itself if an idea or belief asserts itself, it begins to influence something : National pride began to assert itself. THESAURUS claim to say that something is true, even though it has not been proved : He claims that he didnt see anything. | She claims to be a descendant of Charles Dickens. allege to claim that someone did something wrong or illegal, although you do not give any proof : It is alleged that he murdered his wife. | Patients allege that the two firms failed to warn doctors about the dangers of taking the drugs over a long period. maintain to repeatedly say that something is true, especially when other people do not believe you : He continued to maintain his innocence, even after he was sent to prison. | My mother always maintains that I learned to talk at six months. insist to say very firmly that something is true : She insists that Tom was there, although he denies it. | Turkey insists that there is more than enough water in the two rivers for all three countries. assert formal to state that something is true used especially in formal writing when reporting someones opinion : They assert that children work better on their own. | The Environment Minister asserted that one third of the countrys cities had major pollution problems. contend formal to claim that something is true, especially when other people disagree with you : Lawyers contend that his back problems were due to an existing injury, not the accident. | It is possible, as Kennedy contends, that her medical condition is caused by her work. commence AC / kmens / verb intransitive and transitive formal o begin or to start something : Work will commence on the new building immediately. Your first evaluation will be six months after you commence employment. commence with The course commences with a one week introduction to Art Theory. commence doing something The planes commenced bombing at midnight. REGISTER In everyday English, people usually say start rather than commence : The concert was just about to start . commencement AC / kmensmnt / noun formal 1 uncountable the beginning of something commencement of the commencement of building work 2 uncountable and countable American English a ceremony at which university, college, or high school students receive their DIPLOMA s SYN graduation THESAURUS beginning the first part of something such as a story, event, or period of time : The beginning of the movie is very violent. | Lets go back to the beginning. start the beginning of something, or the way something begins : Tomorrow marks the start of the presidential election campaign. | It was not a good start to the day. | The runners lined up for the start of the race. commencement formal the beginning of something used especially in official contexts : the commencement of the academic year | the commencement of the contract origin the point from which something starts to exist : He wrote a book about the origins of the universe. | The tradition has its origins in medieval times. the onset of something the time when something bad begins, such as illness, old age, or cold weather : the onset of winter | A