Energy is the capacity to do work or produce change, typically arising from the motion, position, or structure of matter. It also refers to vigor or vitality in living beings or processes. In everyday use, it describes the usable power found in natural resources or the sustained enthusiasm someone shows for activities.
"The solar panels convert sunlight into energy for the building."
"She puts a lot of energy into her workouts and it shows in her performance."
"The team's energy shifted after the coach's motivational speech."
"We need to conserve energy to reduce our environmental footprint."
Energy comes from the Early Modern English energy, borrowed from French énergie, borrowed from Latin energia, from Greek energeia, from en‑ ‘in, within’ + ergon ‘work’. The term originally described active force or operation, distinct from potential force. In physics, energy broadened from a philosophical and metaphysical sense of ‘work-in-action’ to a precise measurable quantity in the 19th century, paralleling advances in science where energy appeared in forms such as kinetic, potential, thermal, and later electrical energy. The word’s use expanded beyond science to describe non-physical vigor and emotional intensity, as in a person’s energy or the energy of a performance. First known use in English dates to the 14th century, but the modern sense related to physics and dynamics solidified through the 19th century with scientists like James Prescott Joule and Hermann von Helmholtz shaping the conceptual framework of energy as capacity for work rather than force alone.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Energy" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Energy" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Energy"
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Pronounce as /ˈɛnərdʒi/ (US) or /ˈɛnədʒi/ (UK/AU). Start with a stressed short “eh” vowel in the first syllable, then an unstressed “ner” or “nuh” sound, and finish with an “jee” /dʒi/ sound. The middle connects smoothly with a light schwa. Mouth position: lips neutral, tongue relaxed mid-high for /n/, then a compact /dʒ/ affricate with the tongue blade behind the upper teeth. IPA guide highlights the /ˈɛn/ + /ər/ or /ə/ + /dʒ/ + /i/?; ensure the /r/ is not overly rhotic in UK/AU varieties. Audio reference can be found in standard dictionaries and pronunciation channels.
Two frequent errors are overemphasizing the second syllable and misplacing the /dʒ/ as a hard /tʃ/ or delaying it. Also, some learners compress the vowel in the first syllable to a longer /i/ or reduce the final /i/ into a weak vowel. Correct by keeping primary stress on the first syllable, use a short, clipped /ɛ/ in /ˈɛn/, then glide quickly into a clean /dʒ/ + /i/; keep the final /i/ as a light, quick vowel without a prolonged glide.
In the US, /ˈɛnərdʒi/ with rhotic /r/ and a clearer schwa in the second syllable; often the /ɪ/ at the end becomes a reduced /i/. UK/AU tend to have a slightly shorter /ə/ in the second syllable, with less pronounced /r/ (non-rhotic in some accents). The final /i/ remains a light, unstressed vowel. Overall, US keeps a more distinct /r/, while UK/AU emphasize a center-vowel and a softer ending.
Two main challenges: the transition from a stressed syllable to a subtle, unstressed second syllable, and the /dʒ/ consonant combination that sits between /r/ and /i/. Learners often merge /n/ and the following /ər/ into a single sound and mispronounce the /dʒ/ as /dz/ or /tj/. Focus on keeping the first syllable crisp (/ˈɛn/), then a quick, unobtrusive /ər/ or /ə/ before the /dʒ/ /i/ finale, with steady, light reduction in the second syllable.
The primary feature is the consonant cluster /dʒ/ in the syllable coda that follows a reduced vowel in the middle, forming /...ərdʒi/. This requires blending a voiced post-alveolar affricate with an accented final vowel, while keeping a mild, neutral center for the second syllable. Additionally, the vowel in the first syllable is a short /ɛ/ that must stay distinct from the following /ər/ or /ə/; the rhyme color with “synergy” depends on finishing with /i/ rather than a palatalized ending.
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