seismic

Everyday

1. Seismic means to do with earthquakes or the shaking of the earth: seismic waves, seismic activity. tree →
2. Seismic can also mean very big and important, like a huge change that shakes everything: a seismic shift. tree →

In the lessons

Science and geography: seismic waves travel through the Earth after an earthquake; a seismometer (seismograph) records them; New Zealand, Japan and California have a lot of seismic activity because they sit on plate edges. Everyday news: «a seismic shift in opinion» means a big change. Safety: in seismic zones buildings are made to sway without falling.

Examples

• Seismic waves spread out from the centre of an earthquake. tree →
• New Zealand has a lot of seismic activity. tree →
• The seismic station recorded a small tremor last night. tree →
• Schools in Japan practise for seismic events. tree →
• Winning the cup caused a seismic change in the town's mood. tree →
• Engineers build bridges to resist seismic shaking. tree →
• We drew a seismic wave on graph paper in science. tree →

Note

Said «SIZE-mik». From a Greek word for shaking. Related words: seismology (study of earthquakes), seismologist, seismograph. Not the same as «cosmic» (to do with space). The «big change» sense is figurative.