someone who is important in or who has influence over a very small areainsect [countable]a small creature such as a fly or ant, that has six legs, and sometimes wings:an insect biteflying insectsDon't forget to bring insect repellant (=a chemical to keep insects away)microbe [countable]an extremely small living thing which you can only see if you use a microscope. Some microbes can cause diseasesplant1living thing [countable] a living thing that has leaves and roots and grows in earth, especially one that is smaller than a tree:Don't forget to water the plants.a potato plantthe forest's plant life (=plants) houseplant2factory [countable] a factory or building where an industrial process happens:a huge chemical plant power plant3machinery [uncountable] British English heavy machinery that is used in industrial processes:a plant hire business4something hidden [countable usually singular] something illegal or stolen that is hidden in someone's clothes or possessions to make them seem guilty of a crime5person [countable] someone who is put somewhere or sent somewhere secretly to find out informationWORD FOCUS: garden parts of a garden: lawn, flowerbed, hedge, patio, rockery, pond, greenhouse, compost heap, kitchen gardenthings you do in the garden: cut the grass/mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds,sow seeds, plant flowers/bushes/trees, water the plants, cut back/prune roses and other bushes, trim the hedgechemistry [uncountable]1 the science that is concerned with studying the structure of substances and the way that they change or combine with each other [ biochemistry, biology,physics]2 if there is chemistry between two people, they like each other and find each other attractivechemistry betweenIt's obvious that there's a very real chemistry between them.3 the way substances combine in a particular process, thing, person etc:a person's body chemistrycompound [countable]1 technical a substance containing atoms from two or more elements:man-made organic compoundscompound ofSulphur dioxide is a compound of sulphur and oxygen.2 a combination of two or more parts, substances, or qualitiescompound ofTeaching is a compound of several different skills.Brush on a damp-proofing compound.3 an area that contains a group of buildings and is surrounded by a fence or wall:a prison compound4 technical a noun, adjective etc that is made up of two or more words. The noun 'flower shop' and the adjective 'self-made' are compoundselement [countable]1part one part or feature of a whole system, plan, piece of work etc, especially one that is basic or importantelement ofHonesty is a vital element of her success.element inthe primary element in the country's economyimportant/key/essential/vital etc elementBesides ability, the other essential element in political success is luck.Business and management elements are built into the course.2 element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc an amount, usually small, of a quality or feeling:There is an element of truth in your argument.3chemistry a simple chemical substance such as carbon or oxygen that consists of atoms of only one kind compound1 (1)4people a group of people who form part of a larger group, especially when the rest of the group does not approve of them [ faction]:the hard-line communist elements in the party5 the elements [plural] the weather, especially bad weather:sailors battling against the elements6heating the part of a piece of electrical equipment that produces heat7