# Discoveries & Inventions Expert

https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/science-technology-c2-scientific-discoveries-and-inventions-vocab

- CEFR: C2 (Proficient)
- Theme: Science & Technology
- Words: 22
- Premium: no
- Locked: no

Invention vocabulary such as paradigm shift, serendipity and path dependence, plus kludge, lock-in and dual use. Words for discussing invention from a distance.

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## Word list

* **obsolescence** /ˌɑbsəˈlɛsəns/: The process by which a product stops being useful because newer, better versions have taken its place. — “Planned **obsolescence** keeps customers buying a new phone every year.”
* **pioneering** /ˌpaɪəˈnɪrɪŋ/: Being the very first to develop a method, opening a path that others later follow. — “Her **pioneering** work on batteries changed the industry completely.”
* **serendipity** /ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/: The luck of finding something valuable by chance while you were looking for something else. — “Penicillin came from **serendipity**, not from a carefully planned experiment.”
* **paradigm shift**: A fundamental change in the basic ideas or methods used in a particular field. — “The internet caused a **paradigm shift** in how people communicate.”
* **incremental** /ˌɪnkrəˈmɛntəl/: Happening in small steps or stages, rather than in one big change. — “The improvements were **incremental**, but added up over years.”
* **proof of concept**: An early demonstration that shows an idea or method is possible before it is fully developed. — “The small prototype served as a **proof of concept** for investors.”
* **ingenuity** /ˌɪndʒəˈnuəˌti/: Cleverness and originality in solving problems or inventing things. — “The rescue plan showed remarkable **ingenuity**.”
* **forerunner** /ˈfɔˌrʌnər/: An early form of something that later developed into a more advanced version. — “The telegraph was a **forerunner** of modern instant messaging.”
* **hindsight** /ˈhaɪndˌsaɪt/: Understanding of a situation only after it has happened, that you did not have at the time. — “In **hindsight**, the invention seems obvious, but nobody had thought of it before.”
* **trailblazing**: Doing something completely new that others later follow, especially in a particular field. — “Her **trailblazing** research opened up an entirely new field of medicine.”
* **skunkworks**: A small team allowed to work outside the usual rules. — “The whole product came out of a **skunkworks** of four people.”
* **kludge**: A clumsy solution that works despite being badly made. — “The fix was a **kludge** and it has held for eleven years.”
* **teleology** /ˈtiliˌɔləˌdʒi/: The idea that things develop towards a purpose. — “Histories of invention slip into **teleology** almost by default.”
* **lock-in**: The state of being unable to switch away from a technology. — “Format **lock-in** cost the archive more than the hardware did.”
* **leapfrog** /ˈlipˌfrɔɡ/: To skip a stage of development entirely. — “Some countries **leapfrog** landlines straight to mobile networks.”
* **path dependence**: The way an early choice constrains everything after it. — “Keyboard layout is the standard example of **path dependence**.”
* **tinkering** /ˈtɪŋkərɪŋ/: Making small changes to something to try to improve it. — “Years of **tinkering** produced what one redesign would have.”
* **test rig**: A structure built specially to test a component. — “The **test rig** cost more than the part it was built to break.”
* **provisional patent**: An early filing that reserves a place before the full application. — “A **provisional patent** buys twelve months and very little else.”
* **technology transfer**: The moving of a discovery from research into industry. — “**Technology transfer** is where most university inventions quietly die.”
* **dual use**: Able to be used for both peaceful and harmful purposes. — “Almost every **dual use** technology was invented for the peaceful half.”
* **frugal innovation**: Designing something useful with very few resources. — “**Frugal innovation** produced a incubator built from car parts.”

## Related

- Vocabulary library: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary
- Section guide: https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/llms.txt