GRE254

pendulous

adj. Having branches or flower heads that bend downward

multifarious

adj. Having great variety; diverse.

sapient

adj. Having great wisdom and discernment.

intestate

adj. Having made no legal will. Not disposed of without a legal will. n. One who dies without a legal will.

ramose

adj. Having many branches.

didactic

adj. 1. Intended to instruct. 2. Morally instructive. 3. Inclined to teach or moralize excessively.

impiety

adj. 1. Irreverence torward God. 2. Undutifulness.

insipid

adj. 1. Lacking flavor or taste. 2. Dull

austere

adj. 1. Stern or severe in disposition. 2. Grave; sober; serious. 3. Severly simple; unadorned.

penurious

adj. 1. Stingy. 2. Barren. 3. Destitute.

punctilious

adj. 1. Strictly attentive to minute details of form in action or conduct. 2. Precise; scrupulous.

parlous

adj. Fraught with danger: a _ journey on stormy seas. Note - 1st syllable is accented.

eristic

adj. Given to disputation for its own sake and often employing specious arguments.

lascivious

adj. Given to or expressing lust; lecherous.

glutinous

adj. Gluelike; sticky.

heinous

adj. Grossly wicked or reprehensible, abominable.

querulous

adj. Habitually complaining.

taciturn

adj. Habitually untalkative.

perfunctory

adj. Half-hearted. Done routinely with little interest.

innocuous

adj. Harmless.

slapdash

adj. Hasty and careless, as in execution: slapdash work. adv. In a reckless haphazard manner.

brash

adj. Hasty or lacking in sensitivity.

squalid

adj. Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance.

odorous

adj. Having a distinctive or characteristic odor.

viscious

adj. Having a high resistance to flow

presentient

adj. Having a presentiment.

knell

.intr. 1. To ring slowly and solemnly, especially for a funeral; toll. 2. To give forth a mournful or ominous sound. v.tr. To signal, summon, or proclaim by tolling. n. 1. The sound of a bell making this sound; a toll. 2. A signal of disaster or destruction. [Middle English knellen, from Old English cnyllan.]

rakish

1 adj. dissolute; profligate 2 adj. 1. dashing; jaunty: a hat set at a _ angle 2. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical (of a ship or boat) having lines suggestive of speed

subvert

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to bring about the complete downfall or ruin of (something existing or established by a system of law, etc.). 2. To undermine the moral principles of (a person, etc.); corrupt

check kiting

It is commonly defined as intentionally writing a check for a value greater than the account balance from an account in one bank, then writing a check from another account in another bank, also with non-sufficient funds, with the second check serving to cover the non-existent funds from the first account. 1] The purpose is to falsely inflate the balance of a checking account in order to allow written checks that would otherwise bounce to clear.

statuette

n. A small statue; figurine.

canter

n. A smooth gait, especially of a horse, that is slower than a gallop but faster than a trot.

gossamer

n. A soft, sheer, gauzy fabric.

requiem

n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead.

obelisk

n. A square shaft with pyramidal top, usually monumental or commemorative.

tumult

n. A state of commotion and noise and confusion

desuetude

n. A state of disuse or inactivity. (rhymes with destitute)

rhetorical question

n. A statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered.

copse

n. A thicket of small trees or shrubs; a coppice.

knave

n. untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel; jack;

cameo

If your friend gives you a piece of jewelry that has a raised carving of a face in profile showing all the curves and shapes, that's called a _. Often used to show a person's head in profile, a _ typically has two layers of color: one color for the subject and another one for the background. The detail is depicted not by color or shades but instead by the raised design, which is called a relief. A _ is typically used for a piece of jewelry, such as a ring or a brooch, and it has an ornate, old-fashioned quality. You may have seen this type of jewelry depicted in Victorian paintings or possibly worn by your great grandmother.

aeon

In many Gnostic systems, the various emanations of God, who is also known by such names as the One, the Monad, _ teleos (a??? t??e?? "The Broadest _"), Bythos ("depth or profundity", Greek ß????), Proarkhe ("before the beginning", Greek p??a???), the Arkhe ("the beginning", Greek ????), are called _s.

unseemly

Not in keeping with accepted standads of what is right or proper in polite society.

piteous

adj. 1. Demanding or arousing pity. 2. Pitying; compassionate.

banal

adj. Commonplace.

curt

adj. Concise, compressed, and abrupt in act or expression.

coniferous

adj. Cone-bearing trees.

volant

adj. Flying or able to fly.

concomitant

adj. Following or accompanying as a consequence

bibulous

adj. Fond of drinking.

maudlin

adj. Foolishly or tearfully sentimental or affectionate.

betrothed

adj. Formally engaged.

erstwhile

adj. Former.

redoubtable

adj. Formidable; worthy of respect or honour.

malodorous

adj. Foul smelling. (sounds like mal-odor-us)

flippant

adj. Marked by disrespectful levity or casualness.

febrile

adj. Related to fever.

conjugal

adj. Relating to marriage.

connubial

adj. Relating to marriage.

psychopathic

adj. Relating to or affected with an antisocial personality disorder.

schlerotic

adj. Relating to or having sclerosis; hardened.

sarcophagus

n. A stone coffin, often inscribed or decorated with sculpture

chartreuse

n. A strong to brilliant greenish yellow to moderate or strong yellow green.

sagamore

n. A subordinate chief among the Algonquians of North America.

attache

n. A subordinate member of a diplomatic embassy.

gruel

n. A thin porridge or soup (usually oatmeal and water flavored with meat)

mote

n. A tiny spec.

cog

n. A tooth projecting from a wheel.

intervale

n. A tract of low-lying land, especially along a river.

brimstone

n. An old name for sulfur.

finery

n. Elaborate or showy decoration, esp clothing and jewellery.

levity

n. Lightness in manner or speach, especially when inappropriate; frivolity.

bon ton

n. Literary The fashionable elite. [literally: good tone]

abeyance

n. The condition of being temporary suspended or inactive.

acme

n. The culminating point, as of achievement or excellence; summit; peak.

necrosis

n. The death of part of the body.

scintilla

n. The faintest ray.

whelp

n. young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf.

forestall

v. To delay, impede.

gestate

v. To develop in the womb.

descry

v. To discern something difficult to see; detect.

bloviate

v. To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner: "the rural Babbitt who _s about 'progress' and 'groth' " (George Rebeck).

supercede.

v. To displace.

ramify

v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions (e.g. 'the problem merely (5)_ied after the unsucessful meeting').

imbue

v. To dye; To instill profoundly.

rankle

v. To eat away at or aggravate to the point of causing anger

revel

v. To enjoy.

indict

v. To find and declare chargeable with crime.

beck

v. To give a signal to, by nod or gesture.

poach

v. To hunt or fish illegally.

imprecate

v. To invoke evil upon; curse.

extenuate

v. To lessen the seriousness of.

wrangle

v. To maintain by noisy argument or dispute.

explicate

v. To make clear the meaning of; explain.

roil

v. To make turbid by stirring up the sediments of.

miscegenate

v. To marry or cohabit with a person of another race.

defalcate

v. To misuse funds, embezzle.

convolve

v. To move with a circling or winding motion.

patter

v. To mumble something over and over.

foment

v. To nurse to life or activity. To encourage.

stymie

v. To obstruct or hinder. Constantly texting with your friends will _ your effort to finish your homework. Stymie was first used on the golf course in Scotland, where it referred to an opponent's ball blocking your own ball's path to the cup.

cede

v. To pass title to.

juxtapose

v. To place side by side.

burnish

v. To polish. n. A glossy appearance; luster.

extol

v. To praise.

augur

v. To predict.

detrude

v. To push down forcibly.

inveigh

v. To rail against; utter invective.

expostulate

v. To reason earnestly with.

extirpate

v. To root out; eradicate.

reprove

v. To scold, reprimand; to dress down.

extort

v. To secure (money, favors, etc.) by intimidation, violence, or misuse of influence or authority.

fawning

v. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior.

delineate

v. To sketch out; depict.

simper

v. To smile in an artificial, coy or self-conscious way.

mollify

v. To soothe.

disseminate

v. To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown.

coruscate

v. To sparkle or give off reflected flashes of light. Although coruscate means to glitter with light, you can also use the word, in a less literal way, to refer to someone with such great style or ability that they seem to sparkle. Your best friend's performance in the school play might coruscate with such brilliance that the audience gives her a standing ovation during her curtain call. - from vocabulary.com

traduce

v. To speak badly of; to cause humiliation or disgrace to by making malicious and false statements.

malign

v. To speak evil of, especially falsely and severly.

perjure

v. To swear falsely to.

"dime me out"

v. To tell on. Reference to using a pay phone to rat on someone.

circumnavigate

v. To travel around.

coddle

v. To treat indulgently; baby.

evert

v. To turn outward or inside-out.

exhort

v. To urge or persuade (someone) earnestly; advise strongly

equivocate

v. To use words of double meaning. To avoid making an explicit statement.

perambulate

v. To walk about.

itinerate

v. To wander from place to place.

distill

v. Undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops.

disgorge

v. Vomit.

invigilate

v. Watch over (students taking an exam, to prevent cheating)

inveigle

v. influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

prolix

(accent on 2nd syllable) adj. Tediously prolonged; tending to speak or write at excessive length.

hirsute

(her-suit) adj. Having a hairy covering.

valise

(rhymes with 'police') n. A small piece of luggage that can be carried by hand, used to hold clothing, toilet articles, etc.; suitcase; traveling bag

paean

(sounds like 'pay-in') n. 1. A song of joyful praise or exultation. 2. A fervent expression of joy or praise: "The art . . . was a _ to paganism" (Will Durant). 3. An ancient Greek hymn of thanksgiving or invocation, especially to Apollo.

badinage

(sounds like bat-in-ozj) n. Light, playful banter.

currant

(sounds like kûr-runt) n. 1. Any of various deciduous, spineless shrubs of the genus Ribes, native chiefly to the Northern Hemisphere and having flowers in racemes and edible, variously colored berries. 2. The fruits of any of these plants, used for jams, jellies, desserts, or beverages. 3. A small seedless raisin of the Mediterranean region, used chiefly in baking. 4. Any of several other plants or their fruit. [From Middle English (raysons of) coraunte, (raisins of) Corinth, currants, from Anglo-Norman (raisins de) Corauntz, from Latin Corinthus, Corinth, from Greek Korinthos.]

modicum

(sounds like maude'-income) n. A small or token amount.

mendicant

(sounds like men-de-kint) n. A beggar.

auteur

(sounds like oh-turn) n. A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.

suffuse

(v.tr. usually passive) To spread or flood through or over (something) the evening sky was _d with red.

whet

(vb tr) 1. (Engineering / General Engineering) To sharpen, as by grinding or friction. 2. To increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc.); stimulate.

ex parte

1. A Latin legal term meaning "from (by or for) one party" An _ decision is one decided by a judge without requiring all of the parties to the controversy to be present. In Australian, Canadian, U.K., Indian and U.S. legal doctrines, _ means a legal proceeding brought by one person in the absence of and without representation or notification of other parties. It is also used more loosely to refer to improper unilateral contacts with a court, arbitrator or represented party without notice to the other party or counsel for that party. 2. from a one-sided or partisan point of view.

abcission

1. The act of cutting off. 2. The separation of a leaf, flower, or fruit from a plant as a result of natural structural and chemical changes. The _ zone is a layer of weak, thin-walled cells that form across the base of the plant part where the break eventually occurs.

occlude

1. v.tr. to block or stop up (a passage or opening); obstruct 2. v.tr. to prevent the passage of 3. (Chemistry) (of a solid) to incorporate (a substance) by absorption or adsorption 4. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Meteorol to form or cause to form an _d front 5. (Medicine / Dentistry) to produce or cause to produce _sion, as in chewing.

Sheherazade

A legendary Persian queen and the storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights. The frame tale goes that every day Shahryar (Persian: ???????, "king") would marry a new virgin, and every day he would send yesterday's wife to be beheaded. This was done in anger, having found out that his first wife was unfaithful to him. He had killed one thousand such women by the time he was introduced to _, the vizier's daughter.

namby pamby

A term for affected, weak, and maudlin speech/verse.

Phrase: 'Gild The Lily'

Fig. To add ornament or decoration to something that is pleasing in its original state; to attempt to improve something that is already fine the way it is. (Often refers to flattery or exaggeration.) Your house has lovely brickwork. Don't paint it. That would be _. Oh, Sally. You're beautiful the way you are. You don't need makeup. You would be _.

smelt

To _ metal, you have to heat the rock, which is called ore, until the metal inside it melts or liquefies. That metal is the part that has use and value, but hard work is needed to extract it.

adipose tissue

_ or body fat or fat depot or just fat is loose connective tissue composed of _(-2)cytes. It is technically composed of roughly only 80% fat; fat in its solitary state exists in the liver and muscles.

freemason

_ry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. _ry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and Grand Lodge of Ireland, over a quarter of a million under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England[1] and just under two million in the United States.[2]

dowdy

adj (Clothing & Fashion) (esp of a woman's dress) drab, unflattering, and old-fashioned n (Clothing & Fashion) a _ woman.

scurrilous

adj 1. grossly or obscenely abusive or defamatory 2. characterized by gross or obscene humour.

brindled

adj. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours) brown or grey streaked or patched with a darker colour: a _ dog [changed from C15 brended, literally: branded, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse bröndottr; see brand]

ligneous

adj. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) Of or resembling wood. [from Latin ligneus, from lignum wood]

prehensile

adj. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) 1. adapted for grasping, esp by wrapping around a support; a _ tail. 2. Having keen intellect; insightful. [from French préhensile, from Latin prehendere to grasp]

styptic

adj. (Medicine) contracting the blood vessels or tissues n. (Medicine / Pharmacology) a _ drug [via Late Latin, from Greek stuptikos capable of contracting; see stypsis]

notetic

adj. (Psychology) of or relating to the mind, esp to its rational and intellectual faculties.

Neolithic

adj. (Social Science / Anthropology & Ethnology) (Social Science / Archaeology) Pertaining to he cultural period that lasted in SW Asia from about 9000 to 6000 bc and in Europe from about 4000 to 2400 bc and was characterized by primitive crop growing and stock rearing and the use of polished stone and flint tools and weapons.

miscible

adj. (chemistry, physics) That can be mixed in all proportions. Used of liquids. Opposite is im_.

ramshackle

adj. (esp of buildings) badly constructed or maintained so that disintegration is likely; rickety, shaky, or derelict

fledgeling

adj. (of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers.

perspicuous

adj. (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable.

wont

adj. (postpositive) accustomed (to doing something) he was _ to come early n. a manner or action habitually employed by or associated with someone (often in the phrases as is my _, as is his _, etc.) vb. (when tr, usually passive) to become or cause to become accustomed

bereft

adj. (usually foll by of) deprived; parted (from) _ of hope

sidereal

adj. 1. (Astronomy) of, relating to, or involving the stars 2. (Astronomy) determined with reference to one or more stars.

volatile

adj. 1. (Chemistry) (of a substance) capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid form to a vapour; having a high vapour pressure and a low boiling point. 2. (of persons) disposed to caprice or inconstancy; fickle; mercurial. 3. (of circumstances) liable to sudden, unpredictable, or explosive change. 4. lasting only a short time: _ business interests. 5. (Electronics & Computer Science / Computer Science) Computing (of a memory) not retaining stored information when the power supply is cut off. 6. Obsolete flying or capable of flight; volant.

precipitous

adj. 1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) 1. resembling a precipice or characterized by precipices 2. very steep 3. hasty or precipitate

isobaric

adj. 1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Also _(3)piestic having equal atmospheric pressure. 2. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) of or relating to _(6)s.

regnant

adj. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (postpositive) reigning 2. prevalent; current

litigious

adj. 1. (Law) excessively ready to go to law 2. (Law) of or relating to litigation 3. inclined to dispute or disagree.

forensic

adj. 1. (Law) relating to, used in, or connected with a court of law: _ science. 2. Belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate 3. Argumentative, rhetorical.

deciduous

adj. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) (of trees and shrubs) Shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing season and then having a dormant period without leaves. 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) (of antlers, wings, teeth, etc.) Being shed at the end of a period of growth. 3. Rare impermanent; transitory. [from Latin deciduus falling off, from decidere to fall down, from cadere to fall]

sebaceous

adj. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) of or resembling sebum, fat, or tallow; fatty 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) secreting fat or a greasy lubricating substancej.

sibilant

adj. 1. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Phonetics relating to or denoting the consonants (s, z, ?, ?), all pronounced with a characteristic hissing sound 2. having a hissing sound: the _ sound of wind among the leaves

arcadian

adj. 1. (Literature / Poetry) (Placename) (Social Science / Peoples) of or relating to the ancient Greek region of _(-1) or its inhabitants, esp the idealized _(-1) of pastoral poetry 2. rustic or bucolic a life of _ simplicity

schizoid

adj. 1. (Psychology) Denoting a personality disorder characterized by extreme shyness and oversensitivity to others. 2. (Informal) charachterized by or showing conflicting or contradictory attitudes, ideas, etc.

demotic

adj. 1. (Sociology) of or relating to the common people; popular 2. (Linguistics / Languages) of or relating to a simplified form of hieroglyphics used in ancient Egypt by the ordinary literate class outside the priesthood Compare hieratic n. (Linguistics / Languages) the _ script of ancient Egypt

lambent

adj. 1. (esp of a flame) Flickering softly over a surface. 2. Glowing with soft radiance. 3. (of wit or humour) Light or brilliant. [from the present participle of Latin lambere to lick]

noisome

adj. 1. (esp of smells) Offensive the point of arousing disgust; foul. 2. Harmful or noxious.

strident

adj. 1. (of a shout, voice, etc.) having or making a loud or harsh sound 2. urgent,clamorous, or vociferous; strident demands.

threadbare

adj. 1. (of cloth, clothing, etc.) having the nap worn off so that the threads are exposed 2. meagre or poor a threadbare existence 3. hackneyed a threadbare argument 4. wearing threadbare clothes; shabby.

stilted

adj. 1. (of speech, writing, etc.) formal, pompous, or bombastic. 2. Not flowing continuously or naturally: _ conversation. 3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) having vertical piers between the impost and the springing.

sententious

adj. 1. Abounding in aphorisms. 2. Given to pompous moralizing.

felicitous

adj. 1. Admirably suited; apt: a _ comparison. 2. Exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style: a _ writer. 3. Marked by happiness or good fortune: a _ life.

jaundiced

adj. 1. Affected with _(-1). 2. Yellow or yellowish. 3. To be biased against as a result of envy, prejudice, or hostility.

provident

adj. 1. Anticipating and making ready for future needs. 2. Frugal; economical.

salacious

adj. 1. Appealing to or stimulating sexual desire. 2. Lustful.

fiducial

adj. 1. Based on or relating to faith or trust. 2. Relating to or characteristic of a legal trust; fiduciary. 3. Regarded or employed as a standard of reference, as in surveying.

incipient

adj. 1. Beginning to exist or appear. 2. Just starting; beginning.

categorical

adj. 1. Being without exception or qualification; absolute. 2.a. Of or relating to a category or categories. b. According to or using categories: a _arrangement of specimens

puerile

adj. 1. Belonging to childhood; juvenile. 2. Immature; childish. See Synonyms at young.

motile

adj. 1. Biology Moving or having the power to move spontaneously: _ spores. 2. Psychology Of or relating to mental imagery that arises primarily from sensations of bodily movement and position rather than from visual or auditory sensations.

mordacious

adj. 1. Biting or giving to biting. 2. Caustic; sarcastic.

stout

adj. 1. Bold and resolute. 2. Sturdy, solid, substantial. 3. Bulky, thickset, or corpulent. 4. Powerful; forceful.

halcyon

adj. 1. Calm; tranquil. 2. Prosperous; golden. The word halcyon comes from a story in Greek mythology about the halcyon bird, which had the power to calm the rough ocean waves every December so she could nest. Like those calm waters, halcyon has come to mean a sense of peace or tranquility. People often use the phrase halcyon days to refer idyllically to a calmer, more peaceful time in their past.

ingenuous

adj. 1. Candid, frank, or open in character or quality. 2. Lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness; artless.

tenable

adj. 1. Capable of being maintained in argument; rationally defensible: a _theory. 2. Capable of being held against assault; defensible: a _ outpost.

fallible

adj. 1. Capable of making an error: Humans are only _. 2. Tending or likely to be erroneous: _ hypotheses.

anodyne

adj. 1. Capable of soothing or eliminating pain. 2. Relaxing: _ novels about country life. n. 1. A medicine, such as aspirin, that relieves pain. 2. A source of soothing comfort.

blithe

adj. 1. Carefree and casual. 2. Joyous.

lurid

adj. 1. Causing shock or horror; gruesome. 2. Marked by sensationalism: a _ account of the crime. See Synonyms at ghastly. 3. Glowing or shining with the glare of fire through a haze: _ flames. 4. Sallow or pallid in color.

acquisitive

adj. 1. Characterized by a strong desire to gain and possess. 2. Tending to acquire and retain ideas or information: an acquisitive mind.

unctuous

adj. 1. Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness: "the _, complacent court composer who is consumed with envy and self-loathing" (Rhoda Koenig). 2. Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery. 3. Containing or composed of oil or fat. 4. Abundant in organic materials; soft and rich: _ soil.

untoward

adj. 1. Characterized by annoyance, hinderance, or misfortune. 2. Not favorable. 3. Troublesome. 4. Unruly; unseemly.

righteous

adj. 1. Characterized by or proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice. 2. Morally justified. 3. Concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles.

morbid

adj. 1. Characterized by preoccupation with unwholesome thoughts or feelings. 2. Gruesome; grisly.

limpid

adj. 1. Characterized by transparent clearness; pellucid. See Synonyms at clear. 2. Easily intelligible; clear: writes in a _ style. 3. Calm and untroubled; serene.

putative

adj. 1. Commonly regarded as so. 2. (prenominal) considered to exist or have existed; inferred 3. To be known as something by reputation, or assumed to be something, or generally accepted. else [from Late Latin putativus supposed, from Latin putare to consider]

myriad

adj. 1. Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable: the _ fish in the ocean. 2. Composed of numerous diverse elements or facets: the _life of the metropolis. n. 1. A vast number: the _s of bees in the hive. 2. Archaic Ten thousand.

fulsome

adj. 1. Copious or abundant(should be used this way in journalism only). 2. Offensively flattering or insincere. See Synonyms at unctuous. 3. Offensive to the taste or sensibilities; arousing disgust. [Middle English U, abundant, well-fed, arousing disgust : ful, full; see full1 + -som, adj. suff.; see -some1.]

discursive

adj. 1. Covering a wide field of subjects; rambling. 2. Proceeding to a conclusion through reason rather than intuition.

sinuous

adj. 1. Curving in and out. 2. Not direct; devious.

graven

adj. 1. Cut into a desired shape; "_ images"; "sculptured representations" 2. Cut or impressed into a surface; "an incised design"; "engraved invitations".

inverterate

adj. 1. Deep-rooted; Ingrained. 2. Habitual.

rarefied

adj. 1. Describes things that are so stylish, smart, or moral that they seem elevated above the ordinary: the _ conversation of brilliant scholars. 2. Current within a small group; esoteric or exclusive.

execrable

adj. 1. Deserving of being cursed or loathed; hateful. 2. Extremely inferior; very bad: an _meal.

errant

adj. 1. Deviating from the regular or proper course; straying. 2. Roving, esp. in search of adventure. 3. Moving in an aimless or lightly changing manner.

vacuous

adj. 1. Devoid of matter; empty. 2.a. Lacking intelligence; stupid. b. Devoid of substance or meaning; inane: a _ comment. c. Devoid of expression; vacant: "The narrow, swinelike eyes were open, no more _ in death than they had been in life" (Nicholas Proffitt). 3. Lacking serious purpose or occupation; idle.

frowzy

adj. 1. Dirty and untidy; slovenly. 2. ill-smelling; musty.

iridescent

adj. 1. Displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow. 2. Displaying a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's position changes.

truculent

adj. 1. Disposed to fight; pugnacious. 2. Expressing bitter opposition; scathing: a _ speech against the new government. 3. Disposed to or exhibiting violence or destructiveness; fierce.

imperious

adj. 1. Domineering or overbearing. 2. Insisting on obedience.

pro forma

adj. 1. Done as a formality; perfunctory. 2. Provided in advance so as to prescribe form or describe items: a _ copy of a document. [New Latin pr frm : pr, for the sake of + frm, ablative of frma, form.]

lissome (also lissom)

adj. 1. Easily bent; supple. 2. Having the ability to move with ease; limber. (sounds like rhymes with missing)

venial

adj. 1. Easily excused or forgiven; pardonable: a _ offense. 2. Roman Catholic Church Minor, therefore warranting only temporal punishment.

tractable

adj. 1. Easily led or controlled; governable. 2. Malleable.

supernumerary

adj. 1. Exceeding a fixed, prescribed, or standard number; extra. 2. Exceeding the required or desired number or amount; superfluous. 3. Business / Industrial Relations & HR Terms) functioning as a substitute or assistant with regard to a regular body or staff. 3. (Performing Arts / Theatre) An actor with no lines, esp a nonprofessional one.

impertinent

adj. 1. Exceeding the limits of propriety or good manners; improperly forward or bold: _ of a child to lecture a grownup. 2. Not (-2)_; irrelevant. See Synonyms at irrelevant.

undue

adj. 1. Excessive or unwarranted. 2. Unjust, improper, or illegal.

torrid

adj. 1. Excessively hot. 2. Passionate; ardent. 3. Hurried; rapid.

pitiable

adj. 1. Exciting or deserving pity or contempt.

intramural

adj. 1. Existing or carried on within the bounds of an institution, especially a school: _ athletics. 2. Anatomy Occurring or situated within the wall of a cavity or organ.

opprobrious

adj. 1. Expressing contemptuous reproach; scornful or abusive: _ epithets. 2. Bringing disgrace; shameful or infamous: _ conduct.

factitious

adj. 1. Fake; not produced by natural forces. 2. a. Formed by or adapted to an unconventional standard. b. Produced by special effort.

foursquare

adj. 1. Firm; unyielding. 2. Frank; forthright. 3. Square in shape. adv. In a firm or forthright manner.

sequent

adj. 1. Following in order or time; sub_. 2. Following as a result; con_.

convivial

adj. 1. Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable. 2. Merry; festive: a _ atmosphere at the reunion.

fatuous

adj. 1. Foolish or silly, esp in an unconscous, complacent manner. 2. Unreal, illusory.

trenchant

adj. 1. Forceful, effective, and vigorous: a _ argument. 2. Caustic; cutting: _criticism. 3. Distinct; clear-cut.

peevish

adj. 1. Fretful or irritable; petulant. 2. Contrary.

sonorous

adj. 1. Full and loud and deep. 2. producing or capable of producing sound 3. (of language, sound, etc.) deep or resonant 4. (esp of speech) high-flown; grandiloquent [from Latin sonorus loud, from sonor a noise]

exuberant

adj. 1. Full of unrestrained joy. 2. Extravagent. 3. Plentiful.

persnickety

adj. 1. Fussy about minor details. 2. Snobbish, pretentious.

quaver

adj. 1. Give off unsteady sounds, alternating in amplitude or frequency waver. 2. Utter with vibrating vocal chords v. sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below Synonyms: trill, warble n 1. A tremulous sound Type of: sound the sudden occurrence of an audible event 2. a musical note having the time value of an eighth of a whole note

gratuitous

adj. 1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned. 2. Given or received without cost or obligation; free. 3. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified: gratuitous criticism.

jocose

adj. 1. Given to joking; merry. 2. Characterized by joking; humorous.

actionable

adj. 1. Giving cause for legal action: an _ statement. 2. Relating to or being information that allows a decision to be made or _(-4) to be taken.

prepotent

adj. 1. Greater in power, influence, or force than another or others; predominant. 2. Genetics Of, having, or exhibiting _(-1)cy.

elysian

adj. 1. Greek Mythology Of or relating to _(-2)um. 2. Blissful; delightful.

desultory

adj. 1. Haphazard or random. 2. Moving from one thing to another; disconnected. _ fashion, went on. The book is not always dynamic or funny, and sometimes garcía márquez just narrates the rather _ days he just lived. After some time his output of talk became more _ as he continued to fail to make progress. _ conversations. This is definitely a modernist product: fragmentary, somewhat _, aware of its belatedness. _ way. I'd been to frontier land in morecombe, it was fairly _ but at the back was an optimistically named house of fun. _ attempt to clean off the worst of the unspeakable something left over from the party. _ fighting. _ discussion in 1994, a committee of 14 mps nodded through the units of measurement regulations.

raucous

adj. 1. Harsh. 2. Boisterous and disorderly.

acrid

adj. 1. Harshly pungent or bitter to the smell or taste. 2. Caustic in language or tone.

lubricious

adj. 1. Having a slippery or smooth quality. 2. Shifty or tricky. 3. a. Lewd; wanton. b. Sexually stimulating; salacious

brackish

adj. 1. Having a somewhat salty taste, especially from containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water: "You could cut the _ winds with a knife/Here in Nantucket" (Robert Lowell). 2. Distasteful; unpalatable: a thin, _ gruel.

motley

adj. 1. Having elements of great variety or incongruity; heterogeneous: "Most Ivy League freshman classes are chosen from a _ collection of constituencies . . . and a bare majority of entering students can honestly be called scholars" (New York Times). 2. Having many colors; variegated; parti-colored: a _ tunic. n. 1. The parti-colored attire of a court jester. 2. A heterogeneous, often incongruous mixture of elements.

aboriginal

adj. 1. Having existed in a region from the beginning: _ forests. See Synonyms at native. 2.a. Of or relating to _(-2)es. b. often _ Of or relating to the indigenous peoples of Australia.

turbid

adj. 1. Having sediment or foreign particles stirred up or suspended; muddy: _ water. 2. Heavy, dark, or dense, as smoke or fog. 3. In a state of turmoil; muddled: _ feelings.

variegated

adj. 1. Having streaks, marks, or patches of a different color or colors; varicolored: "If they recall the Colosseum . . . it is only as a showcase for cats more _ than any fevered artist's mind could imagine" (Michael Mewshaw). 2. Distinguished or characterized by variety; diversified.

balmy

adj. 1. Having the quality or fragrance of _(-1); soothing. 2. Mild and pleasant: a _ breeze.

congenial

adj. 1. Having the same tastes, habits, or temperament; sympathetic. 2. Of a pleasant disposition; friendly and sociable: a _ host. 3. Suited to one's needs or nature; agreeable: _ surroundings. [Probably from con- + Latin genius, the personification of one's natural inclinations; see genius.

blase

adj. 1. Having the sensibilities deadened by excess or frequency of enjoyment; sated or surfeited with pleasure; uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence; used up. 2. very sophisticated; versed in the ways of the world. 3. Uninterested and attaching little importance; - of attitudes toward duties.

saturnine

adj. 1. Having the temperament of one born under the supposed astrological influence of _(-3). 2. a. Melancholy or sullen. b. Having or marked by a tendency to be bitter or sardonic: a _ expression on his face. 3. Produced by absorption of lead.

altiloquent

adj. 1. High-sounding; pompous in speech.

bawdy

adj. 1. Humorously coarse; risqué. 2. Vulgar; lewd.

wry

adj. 1. Humorously sarcastic or mocking. 2 bent to one side.

noxious

adj. 1. Hurtful to living things; injurious to health. 2. Harmful to the mind or morals; corrupting.

captious

adj. 1. Hypercritical. 2. Intending to entrap or confuse, as in an argument.

quixotic

adj. 1. Idealistic but impractical. 2. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree. 3. Capricious; impulsive.

peckish

adj. 1. Ill-tempered; irritable. 2. Chiefly British Somewhat hungry

prodigious

adj. 1. Immense. 2. Extraordinary

wanton

adj. 1. Immoral or unchaste; lewd. 2. a. Gratuitously cruel; merciless. b. Marked by unprovoked, gratuitous maliciousness; capricious and unjust: _ destruction. 3. Unrestrainedly excessive: _ extravagance; _ depletion of oil reserves. 4. Luxuriant; overabundant: _ tresses. 5. Frolicsome; playful. 6. Undisciplined; spoiled. 7. Obsolete Rebellious; refractory.

inestimable

adj. 1. Impossible to estimate or compute: _ damage. 2. Of immeasurable value or worth; invaluable: "shared all the _ advantages of being wealthy, good-looking, confident and intelligent"(Doris Kearns Goodwin).

impetuous

adj. 1. Impulsive and passionate; quick to act without thinking. 2. Having or marked by violent force.

inchoate

adj. 1. In an initial or early stage; incipient. 2. Imperfectly formed or formulated: a vague, _ idea.

fractious

adj. 1. Inclined to make trouble; unruly. 2. Having a peevish nature; cranky.

lachrymose.

adj. 1. Inclined to weep; tearful. 2. Causing or tending to cause tears.

lugubrious

adj. 1. Indicating sorrow, often riduculously. 2. Mournful, gloomy, or dismal, esp. to an exaggerated degree.

soporific

adj. 1. Inducing sleep. 2. Drowsy.

crotchety

adj. 1. Informal cross; irritable; contrary

snarky

adj. 1. Informal unpleasant and scornful. 2. Irritable or short-tempered.

inimical

adj. 1. Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse: habits _ to good health. 2. Unfriendly; hostile: a cold, _ voice.

insuperable

adj. 1. Insurmountable. 2. Invincible.

vapid

adj. 1. Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull: _ conversation. 2. Lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat: _ beer.

licentious

adj. 1. Lacking moral discipline, especially in sexual conduct. 2. Having no regard for accepted rules or standards.

listless

adj. 1. Lethargic. 2. Unattentive.

dogmatic

adj. 1. Making statements without arguments or evidence. 2. n. A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming authority.

slipshod

adj. 1. Marked by carelessness(of an action); sloppy or slovenly. See Synonyms at sloppy. 2. Slovenly in appearance; shabby or seedy.

codependent

adj. 1. Mutually dependent. 2. Of or relating to a relationship in which one person is psychologically dependent in an unhealthy way on someone who is addicted to a drug or self-destructive behavior, such as chronic gambling.

obstreperous

adj. 1. Noisily and stubbornly defiant. 2. Aggressively boisterous. [From Latin obstreperus, noisy, from obstrepere, to make a noise against : ob-, against; see ob- + strepere, to make a noise (of imitative origin).]

unabashed

adj. 1. Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised. 2. Not concealed or disguised; obvious: _ disgust.

heterodox

adj. 1. Not in agreement with accepted beliefs, especially in church doctrine or dogma. 2. Holding unorthodox opinions.

anisotropic

adj. 1. Not isotropic. 2. Physics Having properties that differ according to the direction of measurement.

unconscionable

adj. 1. Not restrained by conscience; unscrupulous: _ behavior. 2. Beyond prudence or reason; excessive: _ spending.

surreptitious

adj. 1. Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means. 2. Acting with or marked by stealth. See Synonyms at secret.

staid

adj. 1. Of a settled, sedate, and steady character. 2. (Now rare) Permanent.

picayune

adj. 1. Of little value or importance; paltry. See Synonyms at trivial. 2. Petty; mean. n. 1. A Spanish-American half-real piece formerly used in parts of the southern United States. 2. A five-cent piece. 3. Something of very little value; a trifle: not worth a _.

nugatory

adj. 1. Of no importance. 2. Having no power or force.

isometric

adj. 1. Of or exhibiting equality in dimensions or measurements. 2. Of or being a crystal system of three equal axes lying at right angles to each other. 3. (Physiology) Of or involving muscular contraction against resistance in which the length of the muscle remains the same. n. A line connecting _ points.

atomistic

adj. 1. Of or having to do with _s or _ism. 2. Consisting of many separate, often disparate elements: an _ culture.

crepuscular

adj. 1. Of or like twilight; dim: "the period's _ charm and a waning of the intense francophilia that used to shape the art market" (Wall Street Journal). 2. Zoology Becoming active at twilight or before sunrise, as do bats and certain insects and birds.

adenoidal

adj. 1. Of or pertaining to the adenoids, which are a collection of lymphatic tissue in the throat behind the uvula (on the posterior wall and roof of the nasopharynx) 2. sounding as if the nose were pinched.

porcine

adj. 1. Of or related to swine. 2. Piggish: greedy; sloppy; boorish.

spartan

adj. 1. Of or relating to _(-1) or its people. 2. a. Rigorously self-disciplined or self-restrained. b. Simple, frugal, or austere: a _ diet; a _ lifestyle. c. Marked by brevity of speech; laconic. d. Courageous in the face of pain, danger, or adversity.

pathological

adj. 1. Of or relating to _(-4)y. 2. Relating to or caused by disease. 3. Of, relating to, or manifesting behavior that is habitual, maladaptive, and compulsive: a _ liar.

eugenic

adj. 1. Of or relating to _s. 2. Relating or adapted to the production of good or improved offspring.

numinous

adj. 1. Of or relating to a _(-5)en; supernatural. 2. Filled with or characterized by a sense of a supernatural presence: a _ place. 3. Spiritually elevated; sublime.

ecclesiastic

adj. 1. Of or relating to a church, especially as an organized institution. 2. Appropriate to a church or to use in a church: _al architecture.

hircine

adj. 1. Of or relating to a goat. 2. Having a strong odor. 3. Lustful; lewd.

anserine

adj. 1. Of or relating to a goose. 2. Stupid; silly.

picaresque

adj. 1. Of or relating to humorous or satiric fiction describing, in a series of episodes, the adventures of a roguish hero. 2. Of or relating to rogues or scoundrels. Via french from Spanish _(-5)o.

tensile

adj. 1. Of or relating to tension. 2. Capable of being stretched or extended; ductile.

pavonine

adj. 1. Of or resembling a peacock. 2. Vain; showy.

superlative

adj. 1. Of the highest order, quality, or degree; surpassing or superior to all others. 2. Excessive or exaggerated. 3. Grammar Of, relating to, or being the extreme degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb, as in best or brightest. n. 1. Something of the highest possible excellence. 2. The highest degree; the acme. 3. Grammar a. The _ degree. b. An adjective or adverb expressing the _ degree, as in brightest, the _ of the adjective bright, or most brightly, the _ of the adverb brightly. [Middle English superlatif, from Old French, from Late Latin superltvus, from Latin superltus, past participle of superferre, to carry over a person or thing, exaggerate : super-, super- + ltus, past participle of ferre, to carry; see tel- in Indo-European roots.]

ecumenical

adj. 1. Of worldwide scope or applicability; universal. 2. a. Of or relating to the worldwide Christian church. b. Concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions.

seminal

adj. 1. Of, relating to, containing, or conveying semen or seed. 2. Of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative. 3. Highly influential in an original way; constituting or providing a basis for further development: a _idea in the development of a new theory.

igneous

adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of fire. 2. Geology a. Formed by solidification from a molten state. Used of rocks. b. Of or relating to rock so formed; pyrogenic.

aquiline

adj. 1. Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an eagle. 2. Curved or hooked like an eagle's beak: an _ nose.

vitreous

adj. 1. Of, relating to, resembling, or having the nature of glass; glassy. 2. Obtained or made from glass.

parochial

adj. 1. Of, relating to, supported by, or located in a parish. 2. Of or relating to schools of this type. 3. Narrowly restricted in scope or outlook; provincial: _ attitudes.

vulpine

adj. 1. Of, resembling, or characteristic of a fox. 2. Cunning; clever.

labile

adj. 1. Open to change; adaptable: an emotionally _ person. 2. Chemistry Constantly undergoing or likely to undergo change; unstable: a _compound. [Middle English labil, forgetful, wandering, from Old French labile, from Late Latin lbilis, apt to slip, from lb, to slip.

preternatural

adj. 1. Out of or beyond nature. Existing outside of or not in accordance with nature. Differing from the natural. 2. Surpassing the normal; extraordinary.

mawkish

adj. 1. Overly sentimental. 2. Sickening or insipid.

fugacious

adj. 1. Passing away quickly; evanescent. 2. Botany Withering or dropping off early.

colloquial

adj. 1. Pertaining to common speech(speech that would be heard in spoken language) as distinguished from literary speach; informal. 2. Pertaining to conversation.

specious

adj. 1. Plausable but actually fallacious. 2. Deceptively attractive.

benignant

adj. 1. Pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence. 2. Characterized by kindness and warmth, especialy of a king to his subjects.

estimable

adj. 1. Possible to estimate: _ assets; an _ distance. 2. Deserving of esteem; admirable: an _ young professor.

propitious

adj. 1. Presenting favorable circumstances. 2. Kindly; gracious.

a priori

adj. 1. Proceeding from a known or assumed cause to a necessarily related effect; deductive. 2. a. Derived by or designating the process of reasoning without reference to particular facts or experience. b. Knowable without appeal to particular experience. 3. Made before or without examination; not supported by factual study.

prolific

adj. 1. Producing offspring or fruit in great abundance; fertile. 2. Producing abundant works or results: a _ artist. See Synonyms at fertile.

pristine

adj. 1. Pure; uncorrupted. 2. Primitive or original.

peremptory

adj. 1. Putting an end to all debate or action: a _ decree. 2. Not allowing contradiction or refusal; imperative: The officer issued _ commands. 3. Having the nature of or expressing a command; urgent: The teacher spoke in a _ tone. 4. Offensively self-assured; dictatorial: a swaggering, _ manner.

lithe

adj. 1. Readily bent; supple. 2. Marked by effortless grace.

nubile

adj. 1. Ready for marriage; of a marriageable age or condition. Used of young women. 2. Sexually mature and attractive. Used of young women. [Latin nbilis, from nbere, to take a husband.]

serviceable

adj. 1. Ready for service; usable: _ equipment. 2. Able to give long service; durable: a heavy, _ fabric

agnate

adj. 1. Related on or descended from the father's or male side. 2. Coming from a common source; akin. n. A relative on the father's side only.

nuptial

adj. 1. Relating to marriage; conjugal. 2. Related to mating.

dyspeptic

adj. 1. Relating to or having _(-3)sia(indigestion) 2. Of or displaying a morose disposition.

diurnal

adj. 1. Relating to or occurring in a 24-hour period; daily. 2. Occurring or active during the daytime rather than at night: _ animals.

episodic

adj. 1. Resembling or relating to an episode. 2. divided into episodes. 3. irregular, occasional, or sporadic.

superannuated

adj. 1. Retired or ineffective because of advanced age: "Nothing is more tiresome than a _ pedagogue" (Henry Adams)." 2. Outmoded; obsolete: _ laws.

disconsolate

adj. 1. Sad beyond comforting; incapable of being consoled. 2. Causing dejection.

otiose

adj. 1. Serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being. 2. Lazy; indolent. 3. Producing no result or effect; useless. sounds like "oh-she-is"

plucky

adj. 1. Showing courage 2. Displaying animation, vigor, or liveliness adj. marked by courage and determination in the face of difficulties or danger; robust and uninhibited.

peccant

adj. 1. Sinful; guilty.2. Violating a rule or an accepted practice; erring. [Latin peccns, peccant-, present participle of peccre, to sin; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]

collateral

adj. 1. Situated or running side by side; parallel. 2. Coinciding in tendency or effect; concomitant or accompanying. 3. Serving to support or corroborate: _ evidence. 4. Of a secondary nature; subordinate: _ target damage from a bombing run. 5. Of, relating to, or guaranteed by a security pledged against the performance of an obligation: a _ loan. 6. Having an ancestor in common but descended from a different line. n. 1. Property acceptable as security for a loan or other obligation. 2. A _ relative.

commodious

adj. 1. Spacious; roomy. See Synonyms at spacious. 2. Archaic Suitable; handy.

apposite

adj. 1. Strikingly approriate and relevant. 2. Suited for the purpose; apt. Something _ is fitting or relevant. It is _ that radio stations play Christmas carols on Christmas Eve, and that your tax accountant takes vacation after April 15th. It all makes sense.

raptorial

adj. 1. Subsisting by seizing prey; predatory. 2. Adapted for the seizing of prey. 3. Characteristic of birds of prey.

dour

adj. 1. Sullen or grim; gloomy. 2. Stern, harshly unyielding, dogged.

meretricious

adj. 1. Superficially or garishly attractive. 2. Plausable but flase or insincere; specious. 3. Archaic relating to a prostitute.

tumid

adj. 1. Swollen; bulging. 2. Pompous.

rapacious

adj. 1. Taking by force; plundering.

invidious

adj. 1. Tending to arouse ill will. 2. Implying a slight. 3. Causing envy.

coy

adj. 1. Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved. 2. Affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest. 3. Annoyingly unwilling to make a commitment.

ineffectual

adj. 1. Too weak to produce an intended effect, or to function usefully. 2. Lacking power or ability.

pellucid

adj. 1. Transparent or translucent. 2. Transparently clear in style or meaning.

plenary

adj. 1. Unconditional, unqualified, absolute. 2. Entire; comprehensive. Complete in all respects. 3. Fully attended by all qualified members.

ineffable

adj. 1. Undescribable. 2. Not to be uttered; Taboo.

restive

adj. 1. Uneasily impatient under restriction. 2. Resisting control. 3. Restless, nervous, uneasy.

wan

adj. 1. Unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress. 2. Suggestive or indicative of weariness, illness, or unhappiness; melancholy: a _expression. intr.v. To become pale.

officious

adj. 1. Unnecessarily or obtrusively ready to offer advice or services. Intermeddling with what is not one's concern.

inexorable

adj. 1. Unrelenting. 2. Not capable of being persuaded, moved, or stopped.

unbridled

adj. 1. Unrestrained; uncontrolled. 2. Not wearing or being fitted with a (-2)._.

equable

adj. 1. Unvarying. 2. Free from extremes; even-tempered.

proximate

adj. 1. Very near or next, as in space, time, or order. 2. Ap_.

cordial

adj. 1. Warm and sincere; friendly: a _ greeting; _ relations. See Synonyms at gracious. 2. Strongly felt; fervent: a _ abhorrence of waste. 3. Serving to invigorate; stimulating. n. 1. A stimulant; a tonic. 2. A liqueur.

pandemic

adj. 1. Widespread; general. 2. Medicine Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population: _ influenza.

inglorious

adj. 1. Without courage or glory; dishonourable, shameful, or disgraceful 2. unknown or obscure.

outright

adj. 1. Without qualifications or limitations. 2. complete; total. 3. straightforward; direct. 4. Without restrictions. 5. Instantly.

insidious

adj. 1. Working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner: _ rumors; an _ disease. 2. Intended to entrap; treacherous: _ misinformation. 3. Beguiling but harmful; alluring: _ pleasures.

laureate

adj. 1. Worthy of the greatest honor or distinction. 2. Crowned or decked with (-4)al as a mark of honor.

inclement

adj. 1. _ usually referring to severe or harsh weather that is cold and wet; When packing for a trip to the Caribbean bring tank tops and shorts, but don't forget a raincoat in case of _ weather. 2. This adjective can also refer to a person or action that is harsh and unmerciful. _ is from a Latin root formed from the prefix in- "not" plus clemens "clement." This English adjective clement can mean either mild or merciful; the more commonly used noun clemency can mean mildness or mercy.

mordant

adj. 1. a. Bitingly sarcastic. b. incisive and trenchant. 2. Bitingly painful. 3. Harshly or ironically sinister.

stodgy

adj. 1. a. Dull, unimaginative, and commonplace. b. Prim or pompous; stuffy: "Why is the middle-class so _, so utterly without a sense of humor!" (Katherine Mansfield). See Synonyms at dull. 2. Indigestible and starchy; heavy: _ food.

stygian

adj. 1. a. Gloomy and dark. b. Infernal; hellish. 2. Of or relating to the river Styx. 3. Completely inviolable, as a vow sworn by the river Styx.

gamy, gamey

adj. 1. a. Having the flavor or odor of _(-1), especially _(-1) that is slightly spoiled. b. Ill-smelling; rank. 2. Showing an unyielding spirit; plucky: a _ little mare that loved to run. 3. a. Corrupt; tainted: "those considerable forces in America that appear to be tired of the old politics (particularly the _ municipal variety)" (Tom Wicker). b. Sordid; seamy. c. Sexually suggestive; racy.

insensible

adj. 1. a. Imperceptible; inappreciable: an _ change in temperature. b. Very small or gradual: _ movement. 2. a. Having lost consciousness, especially temporarily; unconscious: lay _ where he had fallen. b. Not invested with sensation; inanimate: _ clay. c. Devoid of physical sensation or the power to react, as to pain or cold; numb. 3.a. Unaware; unmindful: I am not _ of your concern. b. Not emotionally responsive; indifferent: _ to criticism. 4. Lacking meaning; unintelligible.

obtuse

adj. 1. a. Lacking quickness of perception or intellect. b. Characterized by a lack of intelligence or sensitivity: an _ remark. c. Not distinctly felt: an _ pain. 2. a. Not sharp, pointed, or acute in form; blunt. b. Having an angle greater than 90 deg: an _ triangle. c. Botany. Having a blunt or rounded tip: an _ leaf.

dapper

adj. 1. a. Neatly dressed; trim. b. Very stylish in dress. 2. Lively and alert.

venal

adj. 1. a. Open to bribery; mercenary: a _ police officer. b. Capable of betraying honor, duty, or scruples for a price; corruptible. 2. Marked by corrupt dealings, especially bribery: a _ administration. 3. Obtainable for a price.

eminent

adj. 1. above others in rank, merit, or reputation. 2. (prenominal) noteworthy, conspicuous, or outstanding; _ good sense 3. projecting or protruding; prominent.

adventitious

adj. 1. added or appearing accidentally or unexpectedly 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) (of a plant or animal part) developing in an abnormal position, as a root that grows from a stem [from Latin adventicius coming from outside, from adventus a coming]

cognate

adj. 1. akin; related; _ languages 2. (Law) related by blood or descended from a common maternal ancestor. Compare agnate.

archaic

adj. 1. also _ Of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive period, especially one that develops into a classical stage of civilization: an _ bronze statuette; _ Greece. 2. No longer current or applicable; antiquated: _ laws.

baroque

adj. 1. also capitalized Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts. 2. also _(capitalized) Music Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of composition that flourished in Europe from about 1600 to 1750, marked by expressive dissonance and elaborate ornamentation. 3. Extravagant, complex, or bizarre, especially in ornamentation: "the _, encoded language of post-structural legal and literary theory" (Wendy Kaminer). 4. Irregular in shape: _ pearls. n. also capitalized The _ style or period in art, architecture, or music. [French, from Italian barocco, imperfect pearl, and from Portuguese barroco.]

choleric

adj. 1. bad-tempered 2. (Medicine / Pathology) bilious or causing biliousness

Sisyphean

adj. 1. both extremely effortful and futile. 2. of or relating to _(-3)us.

decadent

adj. 1. characterized by decay or decline, as in being self-indulgent or morally corrupt 2. wastefully indulgent or extravagant.

magisterial

adj. 1. commanding; authoritative 2. domineering; dictatorial 3. of or relating to a teacher or person of similar status 4. (Law) of or relating to a _(-5)rate

inordinate

adj. 1. exceeding normal limits; immoderate 2. unrestrained, as in behaviour or emotion; intemperate 3. irregular or disordered [from Latin inordinatus disordered, from in-1 + ordinare to put in order]

histrionics

adj. 1. excessively dramatic, insincere, or artificial _ gestures. 2. Now rare dramatic n. 1. (plural) melodramatic displays of temperament 2. (Performing Arts / Theatre) Rare (plural, functioning as singular) dramatics [from Late Latin histrionicus of a player, from histrio actor]

artless

adj. 1. free from deceit, guile, or artfulness; ingenuous: an _ remark 2. natural, without artifice; unpretentious: _ elegance 3. without art or skill; crude

inviolate

adj. 1. free from violation, injury, disturbance, etc. 2. a less common word for inviolable

outlandish

adj. 1. grotesquely adn consipcuously unconventional and bizarre in appearance, habits, etc. 2. (Archaic) foreign.

veracious

adj. 1. habitually truthful or honest. 2. accurate; precise.

sapid

adj. 1. having a pleasant taste 2. agreeable or engaging.

piquant

adj. 1. having an agreeably pungent or tart taste 2. lively or stimulating to the mind (sounds like peek-int) [from French (literally: prickling), from piquer to prick, goad; see pique1]

overbearing

adj. 1. having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy 2. expecting unquestioning obedience

impalpable

adj. 1. imperceptible, esp to the touch _ shadows 2. difficult to understand; abstruse

paltry

adj. 1. insignificant; meagre. 2. worthless or petty.

fey

adj. 1. interested in or believing in the supernatural 2. attuned to the supernatural; clairvoyant; visionary 3. Chiefly Scot fated to die; doomed 4. Chiefly Scot in a state of high spirits or unusual excitement, formerly believed to presage death [Old English fæge marked out for death; related to Old Norse feigr doomed, Old High German feigi].

benighted

adj. 1. lacking cultural, moral, or intellectual enlightenment; ignorant 2. (Archaic) Overtaken by night

ungainly

adj. 1. lacking grace when moving 2. difficult to move or use; unwieldy

jejune

adj. 1. lacking interest or significance or impact. 2. Juvenile, immature. 3. lacking in nutritive value.

voluble

adj. 1. marked by a ready flow of speech. 2. Having great fluency in speaking.

vehement

adj. 1. marked by intensity of feeling or conviction; emphatic. 2. (of actions, gestures, etc.) characterized by great energy, vigour, or force; furious.

retrograde

adj. 1. moving or bending backwards 2. (esp of order) reverse or inverse 3. tending towards an earlier worse condition; declining or deteriorating

internecine

adj. 1. mutually destructive or ruinous; maiming both or all sides: _ war 2. of or relating to slaughter or carnage; bloody 3. of or involving conflict within a group or organization

illiberal

adj. 1. narrow-minded; prejudiced; bigoted; intolerant 2. not generous; mean 3. lacking in culture or refinement.

extrinsic

adj. 1. not contained or included within; extraneous 2. originating or acting from outside; external

chaste

adj. 1. not having experienced sexual intercourse; virginal 2. abstaining from unlawful or immoral sexual intercourse 3. (of conduct, speech, etc.) pure; decent; modest 4. (of style or taste) free from embellishment; simple; restrained

impassive

adj. 1. not revealing or affected by emotion; reserved. 2. calm; serene; imperturbable. 3. Rare unconscious or insensible.

ponderous

adj. 1. of great weight; heavy; huge 2. (esp of movement) lacking ease or lightness; awkward, lumbering, or graceless 3. dull or laborious a _ oration.

sartorial

adj. 1. of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Anatomy of or relating to the _(-3)ius. [from Late Latin sartorius from sartor]

churlish

adj. 1. of or resembling a _(-3)(medieval peasant). 2. Marked by a lack of civility or graciousness. 3. Having a bad disposition; surly: "as valiant as the lion, _ as the bear" (Shakespeare). 4. Difficult to work with, such as soil; intractable.

sectarian

adj. 1. of, belonging or relating to, or characteristic of sects or sectaries 2. adhering to a particular sect, faction, or doctrine 3. narrow-minded, esp as a result of rigid adherence to a particular sect n. a member of a sect or faction, esp one who is bigoted in his adherence to its doctrines or in his intolerance towards other sects, etc. (sounds like 'sect-aryan')

filial

adj. 1. of, resembling, or suitable to a son or daughter _ affection. 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Genetics) Genetics designating any of the generations following the parental generation. Abbrev.: F; F1 indicates the first _ generation, F2 the second, etc. [from Late Latin filialis, from Latin filius son]

bona fide

adj. 1. real or genuine; a _ manuscript 2. undertaken in good faith; a _agreement

Kafkaesque

adj. 1. relating to or in the manner of Franz Kafka or his writings 2. characterized by surreal distortion and a sense of impending danger;"the _terror of the endless interrogations" 3. Relating to the absurdity we have to deal with living in a world of faceless bureaucracies (because they can be marked with a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity).

abhorrent

adj. 1. repugnant; loathsome

anthropoid

adj. 1. resembling man 2. resembling an ape; apelike 3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) of or relating to the suborder _ea n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any primate of the suborder _ea, including monkeys, apes, and man

agrestic

adj. 1. rural; rustic 2. unpolished; uncouth [from Latin agrestis, from ager field]

pert

adj. 1. saucy, impudent, or forward 2. jaunty: a _ little hat.

demure

adj. 1. sedate; decorous; reserved. 2. affectedly modest or prim; coy [perhaps from Old French demorer to delay, linger; perhaps influenced by meur ripe, mature]

astringent

adj. 1. severe; harsh 2. sharp or invigorating 3. (Medicine) causing contraction of body tissues, checking blood flow, or restricting secretions of fluids; styptic

brazen

adj. 1. shameless and bold 2. made of or resembling brass 3. having a ringing metallic sound like that of a brass trumpet vb (tr) 1. (usually foll by out or through) to face and overcome boldly or shamelessly the witness _ed out the prosecutor's questions 2. to make (oneself, etc.) bold or brash [Old English bræsen, from bræs brass]

profligate

adj. 1. shamelessly immoral or debauched 2. wildly extravagant or wasteful n. a person with these characteristics.

solicitous

adj. 1. showing consideration, concern, attention, etc. 2. keenly anxious or willing; eager from Latin sollicitus anxious; see solicit]

indigent

adj. 1. so poor as to lack even necessities; very needy 2. (usually foll by of) Archaic lacking (in) or destitute (of) n. an impoverished person [from Latin indigere to need, from egere to lack]

niggardly

adj. 1. stingy or ungenerous 2. meagre: a _ salary.

stalwart

adj. 1. strong and sturdy; robust 2. solid, dependable, and courageous _ citizens 3. resolute and firm n. a _ person, esp a supporter

ancilliary

adj. 1. subsidiary 2. auxiliary; supplementary _ services n. a subsidiary or auxiliary thing or person the company has an _ abroad [from Latin ancillaris concerning maidservants, from ancilla, diminutive of ancula female servant]

turgid

adj. 1. swollen and distended; congested. 2. (of style or language) excessively embellished in style or language; pompous and high-flown; bombastic. [from Latin turgidus, from turgere to swell]

baleful

adj. 1. threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments 2. sinister or deadly.

refractory

adj. 1. unmanageable or obstinate 2. (Medicine) Med not responding to treatment 3. (Physics / General Physics) (of a material) able to withstand high temperatures without fusion or decomposition n. pl -ries (Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) a material, such as fireclay or alumina, that is able to withstand high temperatures: used to line furnaces, kilns, etc. [variant of obsolete refractary; see refract]

fastidious

adj. 1. very critical; hard to please. 2. excessively particular about details 3. exceedingly delicate; easily disgusted

tremulous

adj. 1. vibrating slightly; quavering; trembling: a _ voice. 2. Showing or characterized by fear, anxiety, excitement, etc. [from Latin tremulus quivering, from tremere to shake]

chary

adj. 1. wary; careful, more due to inside or hidden distrust. 2. choosy; finicky 3. shy; timid 4. sparing (often followed by of); [Old English cearig; related to caru care, Old High German charag sorrowful](sounds like cherry)

aseptic

adj. 1.a. Free of pathogenic microorganisms: _ surgical instruments. b. Using methods to protect against infection by pathogenic microorganisms: _ surgical techniques. 2. Lacking animation or emotion: an _ smile.

feckless

adj. 1.a. Generally incompetent and ineffectual: _ attempts to repair the plumbing. 1.b. Not qualified or suited for a purpose. 2. Not fit to assume responsibility. The "feck" in feckless began as a short form of effect used in the Scots dialect. So feckless essentially means "ineffective," but is also used to describe someone who is irresponsible, incompetent, inept, or without purpose in life.

dulcet

adj. 1.a. Pleasing to the ear; melodious. b. Having a soothing, agreeable quality. 2. Archaic Sweet to the taste. Pronounced as spelled.

poignant

adj. 1.a. Profoundly moving. 1.b. Physically painful. 1.c Keenly distressing to the spirit 2. Piercing, incisive.

priggish

adj. 1.conceited. 2. person who demonstrates an exaggerated conformity or propriety, especially in an irritatingly arrogant or smug manner.

tawny

adj. A light brown to brownish orange.

ventral

adj. Abdominal.

protean

adj. Able to take on many forms; versatile; CF. Proteus: sea god to change his shape at will

brusque

adj. Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt. See Synonyms at gruff.

rife

adj. Abundant.

mincing

adj. Affectedly refined or dainty. _·ly adv.

sanctimonious

adj. Affecting piety or making a display of holiness [from Latin sanctimonia sanctity, from sanctus holy]

egalitarian

adj. Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.

mealy-mouthed

adj. Afraid to express facts or opinions plainly.

equivocal

adj. Ambiguous. Of uncertain significance or nature.

droll

adj. Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon.

cogent

adj. Appealing strongly to reason or conscience.

ad hominem

adj. Appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason: Debaters should avoid _ arguments that question their opponents' motives.

odious

adj. Arousing or meriting strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure.

auspicious

adj. Attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success.

winsome

adj. Attractive, charming, winning, engaging.

cerulean

adj. Azure; sky-blue.

antebellum

adj. Before the Civil War.

stolid

adj. Being or appearing unemotional; impassive.

vernal

adj. Belonging to or suggestive of the spring.

primeval

adj. Belonging to the first or earliest age or ages esp of the world; original or ancient.

lithesome

adj. Bending readily. Pliant. Limber.

salutary

adj. Beneficial; wholesome.

circadian

adj. Biology Relating to or exhibiting approximately 24-hour periodicity. [Latin circ, around; see circa + Latin dis, day; see dyeu- in Indo-European roots.]

promethean

adj. Boldly creative; defiant; audacious. n. A person who is boldly creative or defiantly original.

frangible

adj. Breakable.

laconic

adj. Brief and to the point; terse.

smarmy

adj. Brit informal obsequiously flattering or unpleasantly suave.

contrite

adj. Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin; pentinent.

protuberent

adj. Bulging.

fusible

adj. Capable of being fused or melted by heat.

refragable

adj. Capable of being refuted; refutable.

risible

adj. Capable of exciting laughter or relating to laughter.

capacious

adj. Capable of holding much; roomy; spacious.

corrigible

adj. Capable of reformation.

whimsical

adj. Capricious.

irksome

adj. Causing annoyance, weariness, or vexation, in a tiring way.

pathogenic

adj. Causing disease.

pernicious

adj. Causing great harm; destructive.

grievous

adj. Causing grief, pain, or anguish.

emetic

adj. Causing vomiting. n. An agent that causes vomiting.

circumspect

adj. Cautious, prudent, or discreet. [from Latin circumspectus, from circum- + specere to look]

shambolic

adj. Chaotic, disorganized, or confused.

foppish

adj. Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of manners.

abstemious

adj. Characterized by abstinence or moderation, esp. in drink or food.

edacity

adj. Characterized by voracity; devouring.

sanguine

adj. Cheerfully confident; optimistic.

manifest

adj. Clearly apparent to the sight or understanding; obvious.

seemly

adj. Conforming to standards of conduct and good taste; suitable. _ behavior is polite, decent, upright, and appropriate.

egregious

adj. Conspiciously bad or offensive.

hydrous

adj. Containing water or its elements in some kind of union.

valorous

adj. Courageous.

pusillanimous

adj. Cowardly.

Machiavellian

adj. Crafty; double-dealing; of the political doctrine of Machiavelli, which holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing political power.

corvine

adj. Crow-like.

crass

adj. Crude and unrefined; stupid.

imminent

adj. Dangerous and close at hand.

tenebrous

adj. Dark, gloomy, shadowy.

votive

adj. Dedicated by a vow.

airy

adj. Delicate, ethereal.

delectable

adj. Delightful to the taste or to the senses.

unimpeachable

adj. Describes someone or something that is totally, completely, without any doubt, innocent and good: an _ role model who avoids bad influences and sketchy situations.

condign

adj. Deserved; adequate: "On sober reflection, such worries over a man's _ punishment seemed senseless" (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)

amatory

adj. Designed to excite love.

asinine

adj. Devoid of intelligence

epicurean

adj. Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to the enjoyment of good food and comfort.

sardonic

adj. Disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively and or ironically mocking.

crestfallen

adj. Dispirited and depressed; dejected.

aloof

adj. Distant; not desiring to associate with others. Comes from sailing, in which ships keep clear of coastal rocks by holding the vessel "luff"—"to the windward"; so, to hold "a-luff" means to "keep clear."

beneficent

adj. Doing or producing good.

extempore

adj. Done without preparation.

doleful

adj. Dreary; mournful.

torpid

adj. Dull; sluggish; inactive.

agog

adj. Eager, highly impatient.

credulous

adj. Easily deceived; gullible.

facile

adj. Easy to do.

nascent

adj. Emerging; coming into existence.

interminable

adj. Endless or seemingly endless because of monotony or tiresome length.

rapt

adj. Enraptured.

tantamount

adj. Equivalent in effect or value: a request _ to a demand.

exorbitant

adj. Exceeding usual or proper limits.

draconian

adj. Exceedingly harsh; very severe: a _ legal code; _ budget cuts.

phrenetic

adj. Excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion.

parsimonious

adj. Excessively sparing or frugal.

racy

adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind. 2. Slightly risque.

bathetic

adj. Exhibiting _(-4)os, which is the the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style. 2. Effusively or insincerely emotional. 3. Banal, trite.

opalescent

adj. Exhibiting a milky iridescence like that of an _(-6).

supercilious

adj. Exhibiting hauty and careless disdain / contempt.

precatory

adj. Expressing entreaty or supplication.

laudatory

adj. Expressing or confering praise.

plaintive

adj. Expressing sorrow.

lionhearted

adj. Extraordinarily courageous.

munificent

adj. Extraordinarily generous.

meticulous

adj. Extreemly careful and precise.

stentorian

adj. Extreemly loud.

exiguous

adj. Extremely scanty; meager.

modish

adj. Fashionable; contemporary.

penitent

adj. Feeling or expressing remorse for one's misdeeds or sins. n. 1. One who is as described. 2. A person performing penance under the direction of a confessor.

sordid

adj. Filthy; morally degraded.

arable

adj. Fit for cultivation, as by plowing. n. Land fit to be cultivated.

comestible

adj. Fit to be eaten.

potable

adj. Fit to drink.

blandishment

adj. Flattery intented to pursuade.

evanescent

adj. Fleeting.

florid

adj. Flushed with red.

nonpareil

adj. Having no equal; peerless. n. 1. A person or thing that has no equal; a paragon. 2. (Cookery) US a small bead of coloured sugar used to decorate cakes, biscuits, etc. 3. (Cookery) Chiefly US a flat round piece of chocolate covered with this sugar.

impecunious

adj. Having no money.

odoriferous

adj. Having or diffusing an odor or scent, especially an agreeable one.

precocious

adj. Having prematurely developed mental faculties.

assonant

adj. Having resemblance of sound, esp vowel sound.

solvent

adj. Having sufficient funds to pay all debts.

distrait

adj. Having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety.

percipient

adj. Having the power of perceiving, especially perceiving keenly and readily. n. One that perceives.

salubrious

adj. Healthful.

buxom

adj. Healthily plump and vigorous

mealymouthed

adj. Hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from e.g. timidity or hypocrisy; a mealymouthed politician.

inextricable

adj. Hopelessly confused or tangled.

reverent

adj. Humble. Showing profound awe or respect.

isotropic

adj. Identical in all directions; invariant with respect to direction.

obdurate

adj. Impassive to feelings of humanity or pity.

petulant

adj. Impatient, irritable, or ill-tempered.

cheeky

adj. Impertinently bold; impudent and saucy.

incorrigible

adj. Impervious to correction by punishment.

ineluctable

adj. Impossible to avoid.

irrefrangible

adj. Impossible to break; indestructible.

happy-go-lucky

adj. Improvident.

ratiometric

adj. In electronic or electromechanical systems, it refers to the output voltage as a ratio of the supply voltage. For example, if the input voltage is doubled, the output voltage is doubled.

rubicund

adj. Inclined to a healthy rosiness; ruddy.

jocular

adj. Inclined to joke.

prurient

adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires.

incontrovertible

adj. Indisputable.

somniferous

adj. Inducing sleep; soporific.

ribald

adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity.

cagey

adj. Informal not open or frank; cautious; wary.

daft

adj. Insane; foolish.

dilatory

adj. Intended or tending to delay.

fervid

adj. Intense.

fungible

adj. Interchangeable.

factious

adj. Involving internal dissention.

testy

adj. Irritable or touchy.

conjugate

adj. Joined together in pairs

timorous

adj. Lacking courage; timid.

languid

adj. Lacking energy, vigor, or spirit. Relaxed.

improvident

adj. Lacking foresight or thrift.

uncouth

adj. Lacking in good manners, refinement, or grace.

dissolute

adj. Lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices. [Middle English, from Latin dissoltus, past participle of dissolvere, to dissolve; see dissolve.]

gauche

adj. Lacking social polish; tactless.

indiscreet

adj. Lacking wise judgment.

licit

adj. Lawful; legal.

ascetic

adj. Leading a life of self-denial for spiritual improvement. n. Such a person.

affable

adj. Likeable; easily approachable; gentle and gracious.

leonine

adj. Lion-like.

magniloquent

adj. Lofty and extravagant in speech; grandiloquent.

clarion

adj. Loud and clear: a clarion call to resistance. n. Music 1. A medieval trumpet with a shrill clear tone. 2. The sound of this instrument or a sound resembling it.

hapless

adj. Luckless; unfortunate.

concupiscent

adj. Lustful; libidinous.

mendacious

adj. Lying; Untrue.

vociferous

adj. Making, given to, or marked by noisy and vehement outcry.

maladroit

adj. Marked by a lack of adroitness; inept. n. An inept person.

pedantic

adj. Marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects.

tendentious

adj. Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan; biased: a _ account of the recent elections.

tortuous

adj. Marked by repeated bends or turns; circuitous; complex. (sounds like tort-u-ous)

garish

adj. Marked by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy.

recalcitrant

adj. Marked by stubborn resistance.

abberant

adj. Markedly different from an accepted norm.

jovial

adj. Merry.

atty

adj. Neat, trim, and smart; dapper.

remiss

adj. Negligent, exhibiting carelessness.

penultimate

adj. Next to last.

insouciant

adj. Nonchalant.

intransigent

adj. Not capable of being swayed.

phlegmatic

adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action.

impenitent

adj. Not penitent; unrepentant.

disingenuous

adj. Not sincere; lacking candour.

impolitic

adj. Not wise or expedient; not politic: an _ approach to a sensitive issue.

minatory

adj. Of a menacing or threatening nature; minacious. (sounds like bin-uh-torrie)

quotidian

adj. Of an everyday character; ordinary; commonplace.

apocryphal

adj. Of doubtful authority or questionable authenticity.

sublime

adj. Of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style.

bootless

adj. Of little or no use; vain; fruitless: a _ search.

federal

adj. Of or constituting a form of government in which sovereign power is divided between a central authority and a number of constituent political units.

aural

adj. Of or pertaining to the ear.

vatic

adj. Of or related to a prophet or a prophecy: prophetic. Oraculur.

ichthyic

adj. Of or relating to fishes.

oneiric

adj. Of or relating to or suggestive of dreams.

stupendous

adj. Of prodigious size, bulk, or degree.

diaphanous

adj. Of such fine texture as to be transparent.

consanguine

adj. Of the same lineage or origin; having a common ancestor.

antediluvian

adj. Of the times before the great flood in the days of Noah.

eidetic

adj. Of, relating to, or marked by extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall of visual images.

bumptious

adj. Offensively self-assertive and conceited.

ubiquitous

adj. Omnipresent.

moribund

adj. On the point of dying.

efflorescent

adj. Opening in flower.

reactionary

adj. Opposed to change, progress, or reform; extremely conservative. n. An opponent of change, progress, or reform.

coeval

adj. Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era. n. One of the same era or period; a contemporary.

malapropos

adj. Out of place; inappropriate. adv. In an inappropriate or inopportune manner. (sounds like mal'-a-pro-po')

saccharine

adj. Overly sweet.

endemic

adj. Peculiar to some specified locality or people.

sedulous

adj. Persevering in effort or endeavour; assiduous.

pulmonary

adj. Pertaining to the lungs.

hibernal

adj. Pertaining to winter.

inchmeal

adj. Piecemeal; little by little.

terse

adj. Pithy; concise; to the point.

prenominal

adj. Placed before a noun.

facetious

adj. Playfully jocular; humorous.

euphonous, euphonious

adj. Pleasing to the ear.

urbane

adj. Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner.

grandiloquent

adj. Pompous or bombastic in speech or expression.

laudable

adj. Praiseworthy.

irenic

adj. Promoting peace; conciliatory.

irascible

adj. Prone to anger.

judicious

adj. Prudent.

deft

adj. Quick and neat in movement; nimble; dexterous.

contumacious

adj. Rebellious; insubordinate.

audacious

adj. Recklessly bold or daring.

auburn

adj. Reddish-brown, said usually of the hair.

sacrosanct

adj. Regarded as sacred and inviolable.

sumptuary

adj. Regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior "_ laws discouraging construction of large houses on small plots" "_ laws forbidding gambling"

sacerdotal

adj. Relating to priests or the priesthood; priestly. Relating to a doctrine that ascribes spiritual or supernatural powers to ordained priests.

ocular

adj. Relating to the eye.

pious

adj. Religious; devout.

arcane

adj. Requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric.

disaffected

adj. Resentful and rebellious, especially against authority.

emeritus

adj. Retired from active service but retained to an honorary position.

boorish

adj. Rude, insensitive; clumsy in behavior.

haughty

adj. Scornfully and condescendingly proud.

expedient

adj. Serving to promote one's interest.

ignominious

adj. Shameful. Marked by disgrace.

refulgent

adj. Shinging radiantly; resplendent.

lustrous

adj. Shining or glowing.

ebullient

adj. Showing enthusiasm and or exhilaration of feeling.

sagacious

adj. Showing keen discernment, sound judgement, and farsightedness.

beatific

adj. Showing or producing exalted joy or blessedness: a _ smile.

diffident

adj. Shy, distrustful, reserved.

inane

adj. Silly. Lacking sense or substance.

oblique

adj. Slanting.

somnolent

adj. Sleepy.

wily

adj. Sly or crafty.

polyglot

adj. Speaking, writing, or written in several languages. n. A person who speaks several tongues.

globose

adj. Spherical, globelike.

dappled

adj. Spotted; mottled.

extant

adj. Still existing and known.

eldrich

adj. Strange or unearthly; eerie.

hale

adj. Strong and in good health.

sumptuous

adj. Suggesting great expense; lavish; costly.

redolent

adj. Suggestive of (used w/ odor).

mumpish

adj. Sullen, sulky

loquacious

adj. Talkative; chatty; garrulous.

obtrusive

adj. Tending to be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence.

cumulous

adj. Thrown together in a pile. Resembling a pile. Heaped up.

nonplussed

adj. To be _ by something is to be left confused, unsure, or baffled by it: the performance was so bizarre and meandering that it left me _.

irresolute

adj. Uncertain how to act or proceed. _ describes someone who feels stuck. A decision must be made, a plan acted on, but the _ person just doesn't know what to do.

indomitable

adj. Unconquerable.

putrescent

adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by fetid odors.

manque

adj. Unfulfilled or frustrated in realizing an ambition.

prosaic

adj. Unimaginative.

Dionysian

adj. Uninhibited; undisciplined; spontaneous; wild; orgiastic. After the god of wine and fertility in Greek mythology.

implacable

adj. Unplacateable.

incongruous

adj. Unsuitable for the occasion.

brass-collar

adj. Unwaveringly loyal to a political party; always voting a straight party ticket.

tenacious

adj. Unyielding.

arrant

adj. Utter; out-and-out (often pejorative).

indistinct

adj. Vague.

gelid

adj. Very cold; icy: _ ocean waters. See Synonyms at cold.

corpulent

adj. Very fat.

copacetic

adj. Very satisfactory or acceptable; fine: "You had to be a good judge of what a man was like, and the English was _" (John O'Hara).

peripatetic

adj. Walking about from place to place.

itinerant

adj. Wandering.

prodigal

adj. Wasteful or extravagant.

genteel

adj. Well-bred or refined.

nefarious

adj. Wicked in the extreme.

amenable

adj. Willing and ready to submit.

hiernal

adj. Wintery, relating to winter.

anhydrous

adj. Withered.

sere

adj. Withered; dry: _ vegetation at the edge of the desert. n. The entire sequence of ecological communities successively occupying an area from the initial stage to the climax. (sounds like 'sear')

callow

adj. Without worldly experience; immature.

mirabile dictu

adj. Wonderful to relate; amazing to say. sounds like (my robbery picked you)

trite

adj. Worn out to the point of being meaningless.

jaunty

adj. _ combines ideas such as cheerful, spiffy, upbeat, and natty into one delightfully economical adjective that means all of those things at once!

hieratic

adj. also hieratical 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) of or relating to priests 2. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) of or relating to a cursive form of hieroglyphics used by priests in ancient Egypt 3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) of or relating to styles in art that adhere to certain fixed types or methods, as in ancient Egypt

apropos

adj. appropriate; pertinent adv. 1. appropriately or pertinently 2. by the way; incidentally _ of (preposition) with regard to; in respect of

sui generis

adj. constituting a class of its own; unique. "a history book _" "_ works like Mary Chestnut's Civil War diary" (sounds like 'Sue eye generous')

craven

adj. cowardly; mean-spirited n. a coward

dissentient

adj. dissenting, esp from the opinion of the majority n. a dissenter

uxorious

adj. excessively attached to or dependent on one's wife [from Latin uxorius concerning a wife, from uxor wife]

esurient

adj. hungry, greedy.

whorled

adj. in the shape of a coil.

cloying

adj. initially pleasurable or sweet but wearying in excess

quintessential

adj. most typically representative of a quality, state, etc.; perfect

Manichaean

adj. of or relating to _(-2)ism, which is a religion founded by Manes in the third century; a synthesis of Zoroastrian dualism between light and dark and Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics and superficial elements of Christianity; spread widely in the Roman Empire but had largely died out by 1000.

expository

adj. of, involving, or assisting in exposition; explanatory

hors de combat

adj. out of action, disabled.

puissant

adj. powerful; mighty.

impudent

adj. rude, improper.

louche

adj. shifty or disreputable [from French, literally: squinting]

multitudinous

adj. too numerous to be counted.

asunder

adv. & adj. (postpositive) In or into parts or pieces; apart : to tear _. [Old English on sundran apart; see sunder]

a la carte

adv. & adj. With a separate price for each item on the menu. [French : à, by + la, the + carte, menu.]

august

adv. 1. Profoundly honored. 2. Esteemed or regal. (second syllable is accented). The month _ was named for _us Caesar who was an important and regal person.

pertinacious

adv. 1. Unyielding or perversely persistent. 2. doggedly resolute in purpose or belief; unyielding

pell-mell

adv. 1. in a confused headlong rush; the hounds ran _ into the yard 2. in a disorderly manner; the things were piled _ in the room adj. disordered; tumultuous: a _ rush for the exit n. disorder; confusion.

askance

adv. 1. with an oblique glance 2. with doubt or mistrust

ipso facto

adv. By that very fact or act.

dispassionate

adv. Devoid of passion, emotion, or bias.

out-and-out

adv. Genuinely.

piecemeal

adv. Gradually.

sub rosa

adv. In secret; privately or confidentially: held the meeting _.

akimbo

adv. With hands on hips.

legato

adv.&adj. 1. (Music) Smooth and continuous without breaks between the notes. Used chiefly as a direction.

fallow

def 1 adj. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (of land) left unseeded after being ploughed and harrowed to regain fertility for a crop 2. (of an idea, state of mind, etc.) undeveloped or inactive, but potentially useful n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) land treated in this way vb. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (tr) to leave (land) unseeded after ploughing and harrowing it. [Old English fealga; related to Greek polos ploughed field] def 2 adj. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours) of a light yellowish-brown colour [Old English fealu; related to Old Norse fölr, Old Saxon, Old High German falo, Latin pallidus Greek polios grey] Something that is fallow is left unused. If you're smart but lazy, someone might say you have a fallow mind. From www.vocabulary.com.

"sholem aleykham"

expression (Yiddish) "Hello, peace be with you."

trestle

ib 1. A horizontal beam or bar held up by two pairs of divergent legs and used as a support. 2. A framework consisting of vertical, slanted supports and horizontal crosspieces supporting a bridge.

adieu

interj. Used to express farewell.

natter

intr. v. To chatter;talk idly.

niggle

intr.v. 1. To be preoccupied with trifles or petty details. 2. To find fault constantly and trivially; carp. See Synonyms at quibble.

connive

intr.v. 1. To cooperate secretly in an illegal or wrongful action; collude: The dealers _d with customs officials to bring in narcotics. 2. To scheme; plot. 3. To feign ignorance of or fail to take measures against a wrong, thus implying tacit encouragement or consent: The guards were suspected of _ing at the prisoner's escape.

gape

intr.v. 1. To open the mouth wide; yawn. 2. To stare wonderingly or stupidly, often with the mouth open. See Synonyms at gaze. 3. To open wide: The curtains _d when the wind blew. n. 1. The act or an instance of _ing. 2. A large opening.

capitulate

intr.v. 1. To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms. 2. To give up all resistance; acquiesce.

encroach

intr.v. 1. To take another's possessions or rights gradually or stealthily: _ on a neighbor's land. 2. To advance beyond proper or former limits: desert _upon grassland. 3. Football To commit _ment. [Middle English encrochen, to seize illegally, from Old French encrochier, to seize : en-, in; see en-1 + croc, hook (of Germanic origin).]

burgeon

intr.v. 1.a. To put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout. b. To begin to grow or blossom. 2. To grow or develop rapidly.

titter

intr.v. To laugh in a restrained, nervous way; giggle. n. A nervous giggle.

gambol

intr.v. To leap about playfully; frolic. n. A playful skipping or frolicking about. (sounds like gam-bull)

glower

intr.v. To look or stare sullenly or angrily.

recidivate

intr.v. To return to a previous pattern of behavior, especially to return to criminal habits.

piffle

intr.v. To talk or act feebly or futilely. n. Foolish or futile talk or ideas; nonsense.

ambrosia

n. (Greek & Roman Mythology) The food of the gods, thought to confer immortality.

chattel

n . (Law) a movable article of personal property. 2. any article of tangible property other than land, buildings, and other things annexed to land. 3. a slave.

emissary

n 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a. an agent or messenger sent on a mission, esp one who represents a government or head of state b. (as modifier) an emissary delegation 2. an agent sent on a secret mission, as a spy

apostasy

n pl -sies Abandonment of one's religious faith, party, a cause, etc. [from Church Latin apostasia, from Greek apostasis desertion, from apostanai to stand apart from, desert]

doldrums

n the 1. a depressed or bored state of mind 2. a state of inactivity or stagnation 3. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a. a belt of light winds or calms along the equator b. the weather conditions experienced in this belt, formerly a hazard to sailing vessels

seine

n. (Capitalized) A river of northern France flowing about 772 km (480 mi) generally northwest to the Bay of the _, an inlet of the English Channel. n. A large fishing net made to hang vertically in the water by weights at the lower edge and floats at the top. v. seined, sein·ing, seines v.intr. To fish with such a net. v.tr. To fish for or catch with such a net.

allotrope

n. (Chemistry) any of two or more physical forms in which an element can exist: diamond and graphite are _s of carbon

missal

n. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) a book containing the prayers, rites, etc., of the Masses for a complete year

obsidian

n. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) a dark volcanic glass formed by very rapid solidification of lava Also called Iceland agate.

ford

n. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a shallow area in a river that can be crossed by car, horseback, etc. vb(tr) to cross (a river, brook, etc.) over a shallow area

fane

n. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Archaic or poetic a temple or shrine.

neocolonialism

n. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in the modern world) political control by an outside power of a country that is in theory sovereign and independent, esp through the domination of its economy.

mugwump

n. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) US a neutral or independent person, esp in politics.

potentate

n. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a person who possesses great power or authority, esp a ruler or monarch. [from Late Latin potentatus ruler, from Latin: rule, command, from potens powerful, from posse to be able]

Dionysis

n. (Greek mythology) god of wine and fertility and drama; the Greek name of Bacchus.

Atreus

n. (Greek mythology) the king of Mycenae and father of Agamemnon and of Menelaus. Atreus and his twin brother Thyestes were exiled by their father for murdering their half-brother Chrysippus in their desire for the throne of Olympia. They took refuge in Mycenae, where they ascended to the throne in the absence of King Eurystheus, who was fighting the Heracleidae. Eurystheus had meant for their stewardship to be temporary, but it became permanent after his death in battle. - From wikipedia.org

zoetrope

n. (Group Games / Games, other than specified) a cylinder-shaped toy with a sequence of pictures on its inner surface which, when viewed through the vertical slits spaced regularly around it while the toy is rotated, produce an illusion of animation

fief

n. (Historical Terms)(in feudal Europe) the property or fee granted to a vassal for his maintenance by his lord in return for service. 2. (Feudal System), heritable land in return for service as a vassal. The right to hold.

fiduciary

n. (Law) a person bound to act for another's benefit, as a trustee in relation to his beneficiary adj. (Law) a. having the nature of a trust b. of or relating to a trust or trustee

harrow

n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) any of various implements used to level the ground, stir the soil, break up clods, destroy weeds, etc., in soil. vb 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (tr) to draw a _ over (land) 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) (intr) (of soil) to become broken up through _ing 3. (tr) to distress; vex [of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish harv, Swedish harf; related to Middle Dutch harke rake] vb (tr) Archaic 1. to plunder or ravish 2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) (of Christ) to descend into (hell) to rescue righteous souls [variant of Old English hergian to harry] harrowment n

apiculture

n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) the breeding and care of bees [from Latin apis bee + culture]

coppice

n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Forestry) a thicket or dense growth of small trees or bushes, esp one regularly trimmed back to stumps so that a continual supply of small poles and firewood is obtained vb. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Forestry) (tr) to trim back (trees or bushes) to form a _. 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Forestry) (intr) to form a _.

pachyderm

n. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) Any very large thick-skinned mammal, such as an elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus [from French pachyderme, from Greek pakhudermos thick-skinned, from pakhus thick + derma skin]

diacritic

n. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Also called _al mark a sign placed above or below a character or letter to indicate that it has a different phonetic value, is stressed, or for some other reason adj. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) another word for diacritical [from Greek diakritikos serving to distinguish, from diakrinein, from dia- + krinein to separate]

synecdoche

n. (Linguistics) a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows, or the army for a soldier.

sobriquet

n. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a humorous epithet, assumed name, or nickname.

litotes

n. (Literature / Rhetoric) understatement for rhetorical effect, esp when achieved by using negation with a term in place of using an antonym of that term, as in "She was not a little upset'' for "She was extremely upset.''

accouchement

n. (Medicine / Gynaecology & Obstetrics) childbirth or the period of confinement during chilcbirth. [from accoucher to put to bed, to give birth. See couch]

psoriasis

n. (Medicine / Pathology) A skin disease characterized by the formation of reddish spots and patches covered with silvery scales: tends to run in families. [via New Latin from Greek: itching disease, from psora itch]

contusion

n. (Medicine / Pathology) an injury in which the skin is not broken; bruise.

steatophygia

n. (Medicine) excessive fatness of the buttocks.

quisling

n. (Military) a traitor who aids an occupying enemy force; collaborator

conscript

n. (Military) a. A person who is enrolled for compulsory military service. b. (as modifier) A _ army. vb. (Military) (tr) To enroll (youths, civilians, etc.) for compulsory military service.

armistice

n. (Military) an agreement between opposing armies to suspend hostilities in order to discuss peace terms; truce. [from New Latin armistitium, from Latin arma arms + sistere to stop, stand still]

fata morgana

n. (Physics / General Physics) a mirage, esp one in the Strait of Messina attributed to the sorcery of Morgan le Fay.

catalepsy

n. (Psychiatry) a state of prolonged rigid posture, occurring for example in schizophrenia or in hypnotic trances.

gestalt

n. (Psychology) (sometimes not capital) a perceptual pattern or structure possessing qualities as a whole that cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts See also _ psychology.

moxie

n. (Slang) Courage, nerve, or vigour.

ziggurat

n. (Social Science / Archaeology) a type of rectangular temple tower or tiered mound erected by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians in Mesopotamia. The tower of Babel is thought to be one of these [from Assyrian ziqqurati summit, height]

disquisition

n. (Social Science / Education) a formal written or oral examination of a subject.

Olmec

n. (Social Science / Peoples) a member of an ancient Central American Indian people who inhabited the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico and flourished between about 1200 and 400 bc. adj. (Social Science / Peoples) of or relating to these people or their civilization or culture.

parvenu

n. (Sociology) a person, esp a man, who, having risen socially or economically, is considered to be an upstart or to lack the appropriate refinement for his or her new position adj. (Sociology) of or characteristic of _ [from French, from parvenir to attain, from Latin pervenire, from per through + venire to come]

soothsayer

n. (Spirituality, New Age, Astrology & Self-help / Alternative Belief Systems) a seer or prophet.

chutzpa

n. (Yiddish) unbelievable gall; insolence; audacity.

joist

n. (civil engineering) A steel or wood beam providing direct support for a floor or ceiling, in turn supported by larger beams.

coiffure

n. (kwä-fyr) 1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Hairdressing & Grooming) a hairstyle 2. (Clothing & Fashion) An obsolete word for headdress vb. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Hairdressing & Grooming) (tr) to dress or arrange (the hair).

recognizance

n. (law) A security entered into before a court with a condition to perform some act required by law; on failure to perform that act a sum is forfeited.

dross

n. (metallurgy) An impurity, usually an oxide, formed on the surface of a molten metal.

rococo

n. (often capital) 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a style of architecture and decoration that originated in France in the early 18th century, characterized by elaborate but graceful, light, ornamentation, often containing asymmetrical motifs 2. (Music / Classical Music) an 18th-century style of music characterized by petite prettiness, a decline in the use of counterpoint, and extreme use of ornamentation 3. any florid or excessively ornamental style adj 1. (Music / Classical Music) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) denoting, being in, or relating to the _ 2. florid or excessively elaborate

apercu

n. (pl _s) 1. A hasty glance; a glimpse. 2. A discerning perception; an insight: "Her schmoozy but magisterial _s inspired widespread emulation among the young" (Roy Blount, Jr.) 3. A short outline or summary; a synopsis. sounds like 'ahh-pair-sue'

dolor

n. (poetry) painful grief.

Occam's razor

n. (the law of parsimony, economy or succinctness), is a principle that generally recommends that, from among competing hypotheses, selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions usually provides the correct one, and that the simplest explanation will be the most plausible until evidence is presented to prove it false.

quasar

n. 1. (Astronomy & Space / Celestial Objects) any of a class of extragalactic objects that emit an immense amount of energy in the form of light, infrared radiation, etc., from a compact source. They are extremely distant and their energy generation is thought to involve a supermassive black hole located in the centre of a galaxy 2. Quasi-stellar radio source.

equinox

n. 1. (Astronomy) either of the two occasions, six months apart, when day and night are of equal length See vernal _, autumnal _.

bazaar

n. 1. (Business / Commerce) (esp in the Orient) a market area, esp a street of small stalls 2. (Business / Commerce) a sale in aid of charity, esp of miscellaneous secondhand or handmade articles 3. (Business / Commerce) a shop where a large variety of goods is sold.

Calliope

n. 1. (Capitalized, Greek Mythology) The Muse of epic poetry. 2. Non-capitalized A musical instrument fitted with steam whistles, played from a keyboard.

bromide

n. 1. (Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) any salt of hydrobromic acid, containing the monovalent ion Br- (bromide ion) 2. (Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) any compound containing a bromine atom, such as methyl bromide 3. (Medicine) a dose of sodium or potassium bromide given as a sedative 4. a. a trite saying; platitude b. a dull or boring person.

purgatory

n. 1. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) Chiefly RC Church a state or place in which the souls of those who have died in a state of grace are believed to undergo a limited amount of suffering to expiate their venial sins and become purified of the remaining effects of mortal sin 2. a place or condition of suffering or torment, esp one that is temporary.

providence

n. 1. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) a. Christianity God's foreseeing protection and care of his creatures b. such protection and care as manifest by some other force 2. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) a supposed manifestation of such care and guidance. 3. the foresight or care exercised by a person in the management of his affairs or resources

canon

n. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a Church decree enacted to regulate morals or religious practices 2. (often plural) a general rule or standard, as of judgment, morals, etc. 3. (often plural) a principle or accepted criterion applied in a branch of learning or art 4. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) the complete list of the _ized saints 5. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) the prayer in the Mass in which the Host is consecrated 6. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a list of writings, esp sacred writings, officially recognized as genuine 7. (Music / Classical Music) a piece of music in which an extended melody in one part is imitated successively in one or more other parts See also round [31] catch [33] 8. (Literary & Literary Critical t erms) a list of the works of an author that are accepted as authentic.

perdition

n. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) a. final and irrevocable spiritual ruin b. this state as one that the wicked are said to be destined to endure for ever 2. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) another word for hell 3. Archaic utter disaster, ruin, or destruction.

benediction

n. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) an invocation of divine blessing, esp at the end of a Christian religious ceremony 2. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) a Roman Catholic service in which the congregation is blessed with the sacrament 3. the state of being blessed [from Latin benedictio, from benedicere to bless; see benedicite]

laity

n. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) laymen, as distinguished from clergymen. 2. all people not of a specific occupation.

dissolution

n. 1. Decomposition into fragments. 2. Debauchery. 3. Annulment; termination; death.

diadem

n. 1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Jewellery) a royal crown, esp a light jewelled circlet 2. royal dignity or power

chiffon

n. 1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) A fine transparent or almost transparent plain-weave fabric of silk, nylon, etc. 2. (often plural) Now rare feminine finery. adj. 1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) made of such fabric 2. (Cookery) (of soufflés, pies, cakes, etc.) having a very light fluffy texture [from French, from chiffe rag; probably related to chip]

canard

n. 1. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) A false report; rumour or hoax. A deliberately misleading story. 2. (Engineering / Aeronautics) an aircraft in which the tailplane is mounted in front of the wing.

gazette

n. 1. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) a. a newspaper or official journal b. (capital when part of the name of a newspaper) the Thame _ 2. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) Brit an official document containing public notices, appointments, etc.

folio

n. 1. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) A sheet of paper folded in half to make two leaves for a book or manuscript. 2. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a book or manuscript of the largest common size made up of such sheets.

viand

n. 1. (Cookery) a type of food, esp a delicacy 2. (Cookery) (plural) provisions [from Old French viande, ultimately from Latin vivenda things to be lived on,from vivere to live.

foreland

n. 1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a headland, cape, or coastal promontory 2. land lying in front of something, such as water

culvert

n. 1. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) a drain or covered channel that crosses under a road, railway, etc. 2. (Electronics) a channel for an electric cable. 3. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) a tunnel through which water is pumped into or out of a dry dock.

basilica

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a Roman building, used for public administration, having a large rectangular central nave(center of church) with an aisle on each side and an apse(domed or vaulted recess usually with an altar) at the end 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a rectangular early Christian or medieval church, usually having a nave with clerestories, two or four aisles, one or more vaulted apses, and a timber roof 3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a Roman Catholic church having special ceremonial rights. [from Latin, from Greek basilike hall, from basilike oikia the king's house, from basileus king; see basil]

cloister

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a covered or enclosed walk, usually around a quadrangle in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade on the inside and a wall on the outside 2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) (sometimes plural) a place of religious seclusion, such as a monastery 3.(Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) life in a monastery or convent vb (tr) to confine or seclude in or as if in a monastery [from Old French cloistre, from Medieval Latin claustrum monastic cell, from Latin: bolt, barrier, from claudere to close; influenced in form by Old French cloison partition]

parapet

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a low wall or railing along the edge of a balcony, roof, etc. 2. (Military / Fortifications) Also called breastwork a rampart, mound of sandbags, bank, etc., in front of a trench, giving protection from fire from the front.

cupola

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a roof or ceiling in the form of a dome 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a small structure, usually domed, on the top of a roof or dome.

pastiche

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a work of art that mixes styles, materials, etc; a hogpodge 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a work of art that imitates the style of another artist or period, often with satirical intent. [French pastiche, Italian pasticcio, literally: piecrust (hence, something blended), from Late Latin pasta paste1]

artistry

n. 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) artistic workmanship, ability, or quality 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) artistic pursuits 3. great skill.

alderman

n. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in England and Wales until 1974) One of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors. 2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in the US, Canada, Australia, etc.) a member of the governing body of a municipality

carpetbagger

n. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a politician who seeks public office in a locality where he has no real connections 2. (Business / Insurance) (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) Brit a person who makes a short-term investment in a mutual savings or life-assurance organization in order to benefit from free shares issued following the organization's conversion to a public limited company 3. (Historical Terms) US a Northern White who went to the South after the Civil War to profit from Reconstruction

autocrat

n. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a ruler who possesses absolute and unrestricted authority. 2. a domineering or dictatorial person

cabal

n. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a small group of intriguers, esp one formed for political purposes 2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a secret plot, esp a political one; conspiracy; intrigue 3. a secret or exclusive set of people; clique (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to form a _; conspire; plot [from French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabala; see cabbala]

interregnum

n. 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an interval between two reigns, governments, incumbencies, etc. 2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any period in which a state lacks a ruler, government, etc. 3. a period of absence of some control, authority, etc. 4. a gap in a continuity [from Latin, from inter- + regnum reign]

vassal

n. 1. (Historical Terms)(Government, Politics & Diplomacy)(in feudal society) a man who entered into a personal relationship with a lord to whom he paid homage and fealty in return for protection and often a fief. 2. A bondman; a slave. 3. A subordinate or dependent.

executor

n. 1. (Law) A person appointed by a testator to carry out the wishes expressed in his will 2. a person who executes.

codicil

n. 1. (Law) Law a supplement modifying a will or revoking some provision of it 2. an additional provision; appendix.

easement

n. 1. (Law) Property law the right enjoyed by a landowner of making limited use of his neighbour's land, as by crossing it to reach his own property 2. the act of easing or something that brings ease.

waiver

n. 1. (Law) The voluntary relinquishment, expressly or by implication, of some claim or right. 2. (Law) The act or an instance of relinquishing a claim or right. 3. (Law) A formal statement in writing of such relinquishment.

pettifoger

n. 1. (Law) a lawyer of inferior status who conducts unimportant cases, esp one who is unscrupulous or resorts to trickery 2. any person who quibbles or fusses over details

surety

n. 1. (Law) a person who assumes legal responsibility for the fulfilment of another's debt or obligation and himself becomes liable if the other defaults 2. (Law) security given against loss or damage or as a guarantee that an obligation will be met.

escrow

n. 1. (Law) money, goods, or a written document, such as a contract bond, delivered to a third party and held by him pending fulfilment of some condition 2. (Law) the state or condition of being an _ (esp in the phrase in _) vb(tr) l(Law) to place (money, a document, etc.) in _.

flail

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) an implement used for threshing grain, consisting of a wooden handle with a free-swinging metal or wooden bar attached to it 2. (Military / Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) a weapon so shaped used in the Middle Ages v.tr. 1. To beat or thrash with or as if with a _ 2. to move or be moved like a _; thresh about with arms _ing

provender

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) any dry feed or fodder for domestic livestock 2. (Cookery) food in general

clavicle

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) either of the two bones connecting the shoulder blades with the upper part of the breastbone Nontechnical name collarbone 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the corresponding structure in other vertebrates.

gadfly

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various large dipterous flies, esp the horsefly, that annoy livestock by sucking their blood 2. a constantly irritating or harassing person

taxonomy

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) a. the branch of biology concerned with the classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure, origin, etc. b. the practice of arranging organisms in this way 2. the science or practice of classification

parquet

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Forestry) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a floor covering of pieces of hardwood fitted in a decorative pattern; _ry 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) Also called _ floor a floor so covered 3. (Performing Arts / Theatre) US the stalls of a theatr 4. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Stock Exchange) the main part of the Paris Bourse, where officially listed securities are traded Compare coulisse [3] 5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in France) the department of government responsible for the prosecution of crimes vb (tr) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) to cover (a floor) with _ [from Old French: small enclosure, from parc enclosure; see park]

hyacinth

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any liliaceous plant of the Mediterranean genus _us, esp any cultivated variety of H. orientalis, having a thick flower stalk bearing white, blue, or pink fragrant flowers 2. A deep purplish blue to vivid violet. 3. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth a flower which sprang from the blood of the dead _us

hutch

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) a cage, usually of wood and wire mesh, for small animals 2. Informal, derogatory a small house 3. (Mining & Quarrying) a cart for carrying ore 4. (Mining & Quarrying) a trough, esp one used for kneading dough or (in mining) for washing ore

talon

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) a sharply hooked claw, esp of a bird of prey. 2. anything resembling a bird's claw.

chrysalis

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the obtect pupa of a moth or butterfly 2. anything in the process of developing.

physiology

n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / _) the branch of science concerned with the functioning of organisms 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / _) the processes and functions of all or part of an organism [from Latin physiologia, from Greek]

orthography

n. 1. (Linguistics) a writing system. 2. (Linguistics) a. spelling considered to be correct. b. the principles underlying spelling 3. (Linguistics) the study of spelling 4. (Engineering / General Engineering): _ projection.

patois

n. 1. (Linguistics) an unwritten regional dialect of a language without a literary tradition, esp of French, usually considered substandard 2. (Linguistics) the jargon of a particular group.

semiotics

n. 1. (Linguistics) the study of signs and symbols, esp the relations between written or spoken signs and their referents in the physical world or the world of ideas See also semantics, syntactics, pragmatics. 2. (Medicine) the scientific study of the symptoms of disease; symptomatology. Also called semiology semeiology

etymology

n. 1. (Linguistics) the study of the sources and development of words and morphemes.

epigraph

n. 1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc., suggesting its theme. 2. An inscription on a monument or building.

declamation

n. 1. (Literature / Rhetoric) a rhetorical or emotional speech, made esp in order to protest or condemn; tirade 2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a speech, verse, etc., that is or can be spoken 3. (Literature / Rhetoric) the act or art of declaiming 4. (Music / Classical Music) Music the artistry or technique involved in singing recitative passages.

boatswain

n. A subordinate officer of a vessel, who has general charge of the rigging, anchors, etc.

contagion

n. 1. (Medicine / Pathology) the transmission of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect contact 2. (Medicine / Pathology) a transmittable disease 3. A corrupting or harmful influence that tends to spread; pollutant 4. the spreading of an emotional or mental state among a number of people the contagion of mirth

poultice

n. 1. (Medicine) Also called cataplasm a local moist and often heated application for the skin consisting of substances such as kaolin, linseed, or mustard, used to improve the circulation, treat inflamed areas, etc. 2. Australian slang a large sum of money, esp a debt [from earlier pultes, from Latin puls a thick porridge]

bastion

n. 1. (Military / Fortifications) a projecting work in a fortification designed to permit fire to the flanks along the face of the wall. 2. any fortified place 3. a thing or person regarded as upholding or defending an attitude, principle, etc. the last _ of opposition. [from French, from earlier bastillon bastion, from bastille Bastille]

rampart

n. 1. (Military / Fortifications) the surrounding embankment of a fort, often including any walls, parapets, walks, etc., that are built on the bank 2. anything resembling a rampart in form or function, esp in being a defense or bulwark.

dragoon

n. 1. (Military) (originally) a mounted infantryman armed with a carbine 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) (sometimes capital) a domestic fancy pigeon 3. (Military) a. a type of cavalryman vb(tr) 1. to coerce; force he was _ed into admitting it 2. (Military) to persecute by military force [from French dragon (special use of dragon), soldier armed with a carbine, perhaps suggesting that a carbine, like a dragon, breathed forth fire]

vanguard

n. 1. (Military) the leading division or units of a military force 2. the leading position in any movement or field, or the people who occupy such a position the vanguard of modern literature. [from Old French avant-garde, from avant- fore- + garde guard]

cadre

n. 1. (Military) the nucleus of trained professional servicemen forming the basis for the training of new units or other military expansion 2. a basic unit or structure, esp of specialists or experts; nucleus; core 3. (Military) a group of revolutionaries or other political activists, esp when taking part in military or terrorist activities 4. a member of a cadre (sounds like cad-ra) [from French, from Italian quadro, from Latin quadrum square]

flue

n. 1. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) a shaft, tube, or pipe, esp as used in a chimney, to carry off smoke, gas, etc. 2. (Music / Instruments) Music the passage in an organ pipe or flute within which a vibrating air column is set up.

cistern

n. 1. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) a tank for the storage of water, esp on or within the roof of a house or connected to a WC. 2. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) an underground reservoir for the storage of a liquid, esp rainwater.

overture

n. 1. (Music) a. An instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio. b. A similar orchestral work intended for independent concert performance. 2. An introductory section or part, as of a poem; a prelude. 3. An act, offer, or proposal that indicates readiness to undertake a course of action or open a relationship.

lilt

n. 1. (Music, other) a jaunty rhythm 2. a buoyant motion vb(intr) 1. (Music, other) (of a melody) to have a _ 2. to move in a buoyant manner.

deus ex machina

n. 1. (Performing Arts / Theatre) (in ancient Greek and Roman drama) a god introduced into a play to resolve the plot 2. (Performing Arts / Theatre) a way of ending a play or event that seems false and that involves problems being dealt with too easily.

claque

n. 1. (Performing Arts / Theatre) a group of people hired to applaud 2. a group of fawning admirers.

sophistry

n. 1. (Philosophy) a. a method of argument that is seemingly plausible though actually invalid and misleading b. the art of using such arguments 2. subtle but unsound or fallacious reasoning. a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone

meniscus

n. 1. (Physics / General Physics) the curved upper surface of a liquid standing in a tube, produced by the surface tension. 2. a crescent or half-moon-shaped body or design. 3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) a crescent-shaped fibrous cartilage between the bones at certain joints, esp at the knee. 4. (Physics / General Physics) a crescent-shaped lens; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens.

anomie

n. 1. (Sociology) Lack of social or moral standards in an individual or society. 2. personal state of isolation and anxiety resulting from a lack of social control and regulation A person who feels alone and anxious because there doesn't seem to be anyone in charge of keeping order, feels a sense of _.

squire

n. 1. (Sociology) a country gentleman in England, esp the main landowner in a rural community 2. (Historical Terms) Feudal history a young man of noble birth, who attended upon a knight 3. A personal attenant to a person of rank. 4. (Rare) a man who courts or escorts a woman.

brig

n. 1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical a two-masted square-rigger 2. (Military) Chiefly US a prison, esp in a navy ship

galley

n. 1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) any of various kinds of ship propelled by oars or sails used in ancient or medieval times as a warship or as a trader 2. (Transport / Nautical Terms) the kitchen of a ship, boat, or aircraft 3. (Transport / Nautical Terms) any of various long rowing boats 4. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) Printing a. (in hot-metal composition) a tray open at one end for holding composed type b. short for galley proof [from Old French galie, from Medieval Latin galea, from Greek galaia, of unknown origin; the sense development apparently is due to the association of a galley or slave ship with a ship's kitchen and hence with a hot furnace, trough, printer's tray, etc.]

hierophant

n. 1. (in ancient Greece) an official expounder of rites of worship and sacrifice. 2. any interpreter of sacred mysteries or esoteric principles; mystagogue.

crotchet

n. 1. (music) A quarternote. 2. A small hook or hooklike device 3. a perverse notion.

surfeit

n. 1. (usually foll by of) an excessive or immoderate amount 2. overindulgence, esp in eating or drinking 3. disgust, nausea, etc., caused by such overindulgence vb. 1.(tr) to supply or feed excessively; satiate 2. (intr) Archaic to eat, drink, or be supplied to excess [from French sourfait, from sourfaire to overdo, from sur-1 + faire, from Latin facere to do]

auspice

n. 1. (usually plural) patronage or guidance (esp in the phrase under the _s of) 2. (often plural) a sign or omen, esp one that is favourable.

sonnet

n. 1. A 14-line verse form usually having one of several conventional rhyme schemes. 2. A poem in this form.

cassis

n. 1. A Eurasian currant (Ribes nigrum) bearing black berries. 2. A cordial made from the berries of this plant. [French, from Latin cassia, a kind of plant; see cassia.]

laurel

n. 1. A Mediterranean evergreen tree having aromatic, simple leaves and small blackish berries. 2. A shrub or tree, such as the mountain laurel, having a similar aroma or leaf shape. 3. A wreath of such conferred as a mark of honor in ancient times upon poets, heroes, and athletic victors. 4. Honor and glory won for great achievement.

raptor

n. 1. A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.

catechism

n. 1. A book giving a brief summary of the basic principles of Christianity in question-and-answer form. 2. A manual giving basic instruction in a subject, usually by rote or repetition.

braggadocio

n. 1. A braggart.

plait

n. 1. A braid, especially of hair. 2. A pleat. tr.v. 1. To braid. 2. To pleat. 3. To make by braiding.

credenza

n. 1. A buffet, sideboard, or bookcase, especially one without legs. 2. A piece of office furniture having a long flat top and usually file drawers.

sepulcher

n. 1. A burial vault. 2. A receptacle for sacred relics, especially in an altar. tr.v. To place into a _; inter.

aureole

n. 1. A circle of light or radiance surrounding the head or body of a representation of a deity or holy person; a halo. 2. Astronomy See corona.

magistrate

n. 1. A civil officer charged with the administration of the law. 2. a minor judicial officer, as a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court, having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes.

seer

n. 1. A clairvoyant 2. A prophet.

clangor

n. 1. A clang or repeated clanging. 2. A loud racket; a din.

corset

n. 1. A close-fitting undergarment, often reinforced by stays, worn to support and shape the waistline, hips, and breasts. 2. A medieval outer garment, especially a laced jacket or bodice.

tincture

n. 1. A coloring or dyeing substance; a pigment. 2. An imparted color; a tint. 3. A quality that colors, pervades, or distinguishes. 4. A trace or vestige: "a faint _ of condescension" (Robert Craft). 5. An alcohol solution of a nonvolatile medicine: _ of iodine. 6. Heraldry A metal, color, or fur used on heraldic arms. tr.v. 1. To stain or tint with a color. 2. To infuse, as with a quality; impregnate

synesthesia

n. 1. A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. 2. A sensation felt in one part of the body as a result of stimulus applied to another, as in referred pain. 3. The description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another.

welter

n. 1. A confused mass; a jumble: a _ of papers and magazines. 2. Confusion; turmoil. intr.v. 1. To wallow, roll, or toss about, as in mud or high seas. 2. To lie soaked in a liquid. 3. To roll and surge, as the sea.

polemic

n. 1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine. 2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation. adj. also _al Of or relating to a controversy, argument, or refutation.

colloquy

n. 1. A conversation, especially a formal one. 2. A conferernce. 3. A written dialogue. (rymes with call-a-queen)

pall

n. 1. A cover for a coffin, bier, or tomb, often made of black, purple, or white velvet. 2. A coffin, especially one being carried to a grave or tomb. 3. a. A covering that darkens or obscures: a _ of smoke over the city. b. A gloomy effect or atmosphere: "A _ of depressed indifference hung over Petrograd during February and March 1916" (W. Bruce Lincoln). 4. Ecclesiastical a. A linen cloth or a square of cardbard faced with cloth used to cover the chalice. b. See pallium.

touchstone

n. 1. A criterion or standard by which judgment is made 2. (Earth Sciences / Minerals) a hard dark siliceous stone, such as basalt or jasper, that is used to test the quality of gold and silver from the colour of the streak they produce on it.

effigy

n. 1. A crude figure or dummy representing a hated person or group. 2. A likeness or image, especially of a person.

scion

n. 1. A descendant or heir. 2. also _ A detached shoot or twig containing buds from a woody plant, used in grafting.

anathema

n. 1. A detested person or thing. 2. A formal ecclesiastical curse or a person so cursed.

imbroglio

n. 1. A difficult or intricate situation; entanglement. 2. A confused or complicated disagreement.

progenitor

n. 1. A direct ancestor. See Synonyms at ancestor. 2. An originator of a line of descent; a precursor. 3. An originator; a founder: _s of the new music.

plebiscite

n. 1. A direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or refuse a proposal: The new constitution was ratified in a _. 2. A vote in which a population exercises the right of national self-determination.

heresy

n. A subversive opinion or doctrine with respect to settled beliefs or principals.

fusillade

n. 1. A discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession. 2. A rapid outburst or barrage: a _ of insults. tr.v. To attack with a _.

pantheism

n. 1. A doctrine identifying the Deity with the universe and its phenomena. 2. Belief in and worship of all gods.

jehu

n. 1. A fast driver. 2. A driver of a cab. After King _ of the Old Testament.

vixen

n. 1. A female fox. 2. A woman regarded as quarrelsome, shrewish, or malicious.

paddock

n. 1. A fenced area, usually near a stable, used chiefly for grazing horses. 2. Sports a. An enclosure at a racetrack where the horses are assembled, saddled, and paraded before each race. b. An area of an automobile racetrack where cars are prepared before a race. 3. Australian A piece of fenced-in land.

trope

n. 1. A figure of speech using words in nonliteral ways, such as a metaphor. 2. A word or phrase interpolated as an embellishment in the sung parts of certain medieval liturgies. 3. A common figure of speech: "Not that there's anything wrong with that". 4. A trite theme such as the climatic dual in a western movie. [Latin tropus, from Greek tropos, turn, figure of speech; see trep- in Indo-European roots.]

futurist

n. 1. A follower of a style of art, literature, music, etc., and a theory of art and life in which violence, power, speed, mechanization or machines, and hostility to the past or to traditional forms of expression were advocated or portrayed.2. (Theology) . a person who maintains that the prophecies in the Apocalypse will be fulfilled in the future. Compare presentist, preterist. 3. A person whose occupation or specialty is the forecasting of future events, conditions, or developments.

onrush

n. 1. A forceful, forward rush or flow. 2. A violent physical or verbal attack; an assault.

prospectus

n. 1. A formal summary of a proposed venture or project. 2. A document describing the chief features of something, such as a business, an educational program, or especially a stock offering or mutual fund, for potential buyers, investors, or participants.

incisor

n. 1. A front or cutting tooth.

caftan, kaftan

n. 1. A full-length garment with elbow-length or long sleeves, worn chiefly ineastern Mediterranean countries.2. A westernized version of this garmentconsisting of a loose, usually brightly colored waist-length or ankle-lngth tunic.

sarong

n. 1. A garment consisting of a length of printed cloth wrapped about the waist that is worn by men and women in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Pacific islands. 2. A fashionable Western adaptation of this garment.

nabob, nawab

n. 1. A governor in India under the Mogul Empire. 2. A person of wealth and prominence. 3. (formerly, in Britain) a person who had acquired a large fortune in India.

preponderance

n. 1. A great amount or frequency. 2. Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence.

magnum opus

n. 1. A great work, especially a literary or artistic masterpiece. 2. The greatest single work of an artist, writer, or composer. [Latin : magnum, neuter of magnus, great + opus, work.]

junta

n. 1. A group of military officers ruling a country after siezing a country. 2. A council in government, especially in South America.

lyceum

n. 1. A hall in which public lectures, concerts, and similar programs are presented. 2. An organization sponsoring public programs and entertainment. 3. A lycée.

rubric

n. 1. A heading or a category in a chart, or a rule of conduct. A teacher's grading _s may include participation, homework completion, tests, quizzes, and papers. 2. A rule or a procedure. 3. an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text.

promontory

n. 1. A high ridge of land or rock jutting out into a body of water; a headland. 2. Anatomy A projecting part. [Latin prmontorium, alteration (influenced by mns, mont-, mount) of prmunturium, probably from prominre, to jut out; see prominent.]

slough

n. 1. A hollow filled with mud. 2. a stagnant swamp (especially as part of a bayou) 3. necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass 4. any outer covering that can be shed or cast off (such as the cast-off skin of a snake). 5. a state of moral degradation or spiritual dejection v. 1. cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers 2. To shake off. (rhymes with rough)

inroad

n. 1. A hostile invasion; a raid. 2. An advance, especially at another's expense; an encroachment. Often used in the plural: Foreign products have made _ into the American economy.

sirocco

n. 1. A hot humid south or southeast wind of southern Italy, Sicily, and the Mediterranean islands, originating in the Sahara Desert as a dry dusty wind but becoming moist as it passes over the Mediterranean. 2. A hot or warm southerly wind, especially one moving toward a low barometric pressure center.

consort

n. 1. A husband or wife, especially the spouse of a monarch. 2. A companion or partner. 3. A ship accompanying another in travel. 4. Partnership; association: governed in _ with her advisers. 5. A group; a company: a _ of fellow diplomats. 6. Music a. An instrumental ensemble. b. An ensemble using instruments of the same family. v. (kn- ôrt) v.intr. 1. To keep company; associate: a politician known to _ with gangsters. 2. To be in accord or agreement. v.tr. 1. To unite in company; associate. 2. Obsolete a. To escort; accompany. b. To espouse.

loch

n. 1. A lake. 2. An arm of the sea similar to a fjord.

archipelago

n. 1. A large group of islands: the Philippine _.

spate

n. 1. A large number. 2. A sudden forceful flow.

epistle

n. 1. A letter, especially a formal one. See Synonyms at letter. 2. A literary composition in the form of a letter. 3. (capitalized) Bible a. One of the letters included as a book in the New Testament. b. An excerpt from one of these letters, read as part of a religious service.

paroxysm paroxysm

n. A sudden outburst of any emotion or action.

burlesque

n. 1. A literary or dramatic work that ridicules a subject either by presenting a solemn subject in an undignified style or an inconsequential subject in a dignified style. 2. A ludicrous or mocking imitation; a travesty: The antics of the defense attorneys turned the trial into a _ of justice. 3. A variety show characterized by broad ribald comedy, dancing, and striptease.

jeremiad

n. 1. A literary work or speech expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom. 2. A long mournful lamentation or complaint.

cotilion

n. 1. A lively dance originating in France in the 18th century. 2. A ball at which young ladies are presented to society.

omnibus

n. 1. A long motor vehicle for passengers; a bus. 2. A printed anthology of the works of one author or of writings on related subjects. adj. Including or covering many things or classes: an _ trade bill.

capote

n. 1. A long, usually hooded cloak or coat. 2. also (kä-pt) A large, usually purple and yellow cape used in maneuvering the bull especially during the initial stage of a bullfight. [French, from Old French capote, capette, diminutive of cape, cloak, from Medieval Latin cpa; see cape1.]

mantle

n. 1. A loose wrap or cloak. 2. Such a garmet regarded as a symbol of someone's power or authority. 3. Anything that covers or envelopes.

liege

n. 1. A lord or sovereign to whom allegiance and service are due according to feudal law. adj. Owed feudal allegiance.

aurora

n. 1. A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth. It is thought to be caused by charged particles from the sun entering the earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere. 2. The dawn.

elegy

n. 1. A lyric poem lamenting the dead or a dead person. 2. A lamentful poem or song.

soubrette

n. 1. A maidservant or lady's maid in a play or an opera, especially one who displays coquetry and engages in intrigue. 2. A young woman regarded as flirtatious. 3. A soprano who sings supporting roles in comic opera.

seignior

n. 1. A man of rank, especially a feudal lord. 2. Used as a form of address for such a man.

ombudsman

n. 1. A man who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements, especially between aggrieved parties such as consumers or students and an institution or organization. 2. A government official, especially in Scandinavian countries, who investigates citizens' complaints against the government or its functionaries.

ingot

n. 1. A mass of metal, such as a bar or block, that is cast in a standard shape for convenient storage or shipment. 2. A casting mold for metal.

nomad

n. 1. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land. 2. A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wanderer.

foible

n. 1. A minor weakness or failing of character. 2. The weaker section of a sword blade, from the middle to the tip.

russet

n. 1. A moderate to strong brown. 2. A coarse reddish-brown to brown homespun cloth. 3. A winter apple with a rough reddish-brown skin. adj. Moderate to strong brown.

demarche

n. 1. A move or step or maneuver in political or diplomatic affairs. 2. A mode of procedure. 3. Change in course of action. (sounds like 'day-marsh')

ingenue

n. 1. A naive, innocent girl or young woman. 2. a. The role of an _ in a dramatic production. b. An actress playing such a role. [French, feminine of ingénu, guileless, from Latin ingenuus, ingenuous; see ingenuous.]

neologism

n. 1. A new word, expression, or usage. 2. The creation or use of new words or senses. 3. Psychology a. The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. b. A word so invented. 4. Theology A new doctrine or a new interpretation of scripture.

penumbra

n. 1. A partial shadow. 2. A perphery.

emporium

n. 1. A place where various goods are bought and sold; a marketplace. 2. A large retail store or place of business: a furniture _.

sophism

n. 1. A plausible but fallacious argument. 2. Deceptive or fallacious argumentation.

palinode

n. 1. A poem in which the author retracts something said in a previous poem. 2. A formal statement of retraction.

liturgy

n. 1. A prescribed form or set of forms for public religious worship. 2. (Christianity) The sacrament of the Eucharist.

numen

n. 1. A presiding divinity or spirit of a place. 2. A spirit believed by animists to inhabit certain natural phenomena or objects. 3. Creative energy; genius.

excrescence

n. 1. A projection or protuberance, esp an outgrowth from an organ or part of the body. 2. Any unnatural addition, outgrowth, or development.

riposte

n. 1. A quick, clever reply. 2. In fencing, a quick return thrust. v.tr. To make a quick, clever reply.

pestilence

n. 1. A raging epidemic. 2. An evil influence or idea.

commissary

n. 1. A retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel) 2. A snack bar in a film studio.

watershed

n. 1. A ridge of high land dividing two areas that are drained by different river systems. Also called water parting. 2. The region draining into a river, river system, or other body of water. 3. A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point: "a _ in modern American history, a time that ... forever changed American social attitudes" (Robert Reinhold).

bangle

n. 1. A rigid bracelet or anklet, especially one with no clasp. 2. An ornament that hangs from a bracelet or necklace.

itinerary

n. 1. A route or proposed route of a journey. 2. An account or record of a journey. 3. A guidebook for travelers. adj. 1. Of or relating to a journey or route. 2. Traveling from place to place.

precept

n. 1. A rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct. 2. Law An authorized direction or order; a writ.

conclave

n. 1. A secret or confidential meeting. 2. (Roman Catholic Church) a. The private rooms in which the cardinals meet to elect a new pope. b. The meeting held to elect a new pope. 3. A meeting of family members or associates.

truism

n. 1. A self-evident truth. 2. A platitude.

trammel

n. 1. A shackle used to teach a horse to amble. 2. Something that restricts activity, expression, or progress; a restraint. 3. A vertically set fishing net of three layers, consisting of a finely meshed net between two nets of coarse mesh. 4. An instrument for describing ellipses. 5. An instrument for gauging and adjusting parts of a machine; a tram. 6. An arrangement of links and a hook in a fireplace for raising and lowering a kettle. tr.v. 1. To enmesh in or as if in a fishing net. See Synonyms at hamper 2. To hinder the activity or free movement of. [Middle English tramale, a kind of net, from Old French tramail, from Late Latin trmaculum : Latin trs, three; see trei- in Indo-European roots + Latin macula, mesh.]

epigram

n. 1. A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation. 2. A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement. See Synonyms at saying. 3. _matic discourse or expression.

scuttle

n. 1. A small opening or hatch with a movable lid in the deck or hull of a ship or in the roof, wall, or floor of a building. 2. The lid or hatch of such an opening. tr.v. 1. Nautical a. To cut or open a hole or holes in (a ship's hull). b. To sink (a ship) by this means. 2. Informal To scrap; discard: "a program [the] President . . . sought to _" (Christian Science Monitor).

trundle

n. 1. A small wheel or roller. 2. The motion or noise of rolling. 3. A trundle bed(has drawers underneath). 4. A low-wheeled cart; a dolly. v.tr. 1. To push or propel on wheels or rollers. 2. To spin; twirl. v.intr. 1. To move along by or as if by rolling or spinning. 2. (of a wheeled vehicle or its occupants) Move slowly and heavily, typically in a noisy or uneven way.

redoubt

n. 1. A small, often temporary defensive fortification. 2. A reinforcing earthwork or breastwork within a permanent rampart. 3. A protected place of refuge or defense.

bauble

n. 1. A small, showy ornament of little value; a trinket.

memento

n. 1. A souvenir; keepsake. 2. Something that serves to warn or remind.

jubilee

n. 1. A special anniversary of an event, especially a 50th anniversary. 2. Rejoicing or celebration.

sashay

n. 1. A square dance figure; partners circle each other taking sideways steps. 2. (ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading. 3. Journey taken for pleasure. 4. A type of folk dance in which couples are arranged in sets or face one another in a line.

escarpment

n. 1. A steep slope or long cliff that results from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations. 2. A steep slope in front of a fortification.

wile

n. 1. A stratagem or trick intended to deceive or ensnare. 2. A disarming or seductive manner, device, or procedure: the _s of a skilled negotiator. 3. Trickery; cunning.

panoply

n. 1. A striking array. 2. Full ceremonial attire. 3. The complete armor & arms or a warrior.

jetty

n. 1. A structure, such as a pier, that projects into a body of water to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbor or shoreline from storms or erosion. 2. A wharf. [Middle English getti, jettie, from Old French jetee, from feminine past participle of jeter, to project, throw; see jet2.]

groundswell

n. 1. A surge of opinion or feeling about someone or something. 2. A broad deep swell of the ocean, caused by a distant storm or an earthquake.

treatise

n. 1. A systematic, usually extensive written discourse on a subject. 2. Obsolete A tale or narrative. (sounds like treat-hiss)

epithet

n. 1. A term used to characterize a person or thing i.e. "The Great" in "Catherine The Great". 2. A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person, such as The Great Emancipator for Abraham Lincoln

patina

n. 1. A thin greenish layer, usually basic copper sulfate, that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of corrosion. 2. A fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal 3. Any fine layer on a surface; a _ of frost 4. The sheen on a surface that is caused by much handling.

veneer

n. 1. A thin surface layer, as of finely grained wood, glued to a base of inferior material. 2. Any of the thin layers glued together to make plywood. 3. A decorative facing, as of brick. 4. A deceptive, superficial show; a façade: a _ of friendliness. tr.v. 1. To overlay (a surface) with a thin layer of a fine or decorative material. 2. To glue together (layers of wood) to make plywood. 3. To conceal, as something common or crude, with a deceptively attractive outward show.

bugbear

n. 1. A thing that causes obsessive fear or anxiety. 2. (Myth & Legend / European Myth & Legend) (in English folklore) A goblin said to eat naughty children and thought to be in the form of a bear. [from bug2 + bear2; compare bugaboo]

esquire

n. 1. A title of dignity, office, or courtesy. 2. (Historical Terms) (in medieval times) the attendant and shield bearer of a knight, subsequently often knighted himself.

effluvium

n. 1. A usually invisible emanation or exhalation, as of vapor or gas. 2.a. A byproduct or residue; waste. b. The odorous fumes given off by waste or decaying matter. 3. An impalpable emanation; an aura.

miscreant

n. 1. A villain; evildoer. 2. Infidel; heretic.

maelstrom

n. 1. A violent or turbulent situation: caught in the _ of war. 2. A whirlpool of extraordinary size or violence.

vestige

n. 1. A visible trace, evidence, or sign of something that once existed but exists or appears no more. 2. Biology A rudimentary or degenerate, usually nonfunctioning, structure that is the remnant of an organ or part that was fully developed or functioning in a preceding generation or an earlier stage of development.

myopic

n. 1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; nearsightedness. Also called short sight. 2. Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning: "For Lorca, New York is a symbol of spiritual _" (Edwin Honig). [Greek mupi, from mups, mup-, nearsighted : mein, to close the eyes + ps, eye; see okw- in Indo-European roots.]

tableau

n. 1. A vivid or graphic description: The movie was a _ of a soldier's life. 2. A striking incidental scene, as of a picturesque group of people: "New public figures suddenly abound in the hitherto faceless totalitarian _" (John McLaughlin). 3. An interlude during a scene when all the performers on stage freeze in position and then resume action as before. 4. A _ vivant (a representation of a scene, painting, sculpture, etc., by a person or group posed silent and motionless).

bulwark

n. 1. A wall or embankment raised as a defensive fortification; a rampart. 2. Something serving as a defense or safeguard: "We have seen the necessity of the Union, as our _ against foreign danger" (James Madison). 3. A breakwater. 4. The part of a ship's side that is above the upper deck. Often used in the plural. tr.v. 1. To fortify with a wall, embankment, or rampart. 2. To provide defense or protection for.

monition

n. 1. A warning or an intimation of something imminent, especially of impending danger. 2. Cautionary advice or counsel 3. A formal order from a bishop or an ecclesiastical court to refrain from a specified offense. 4. A summons or citation in civil or admiralty law.

vitner

n. 1. A wine merchant. 2. One who makes wine.

frock

n. 1. A woman's dress. 2. A long loose outer garment, as that worn by artists and craftspeople; a smock. 3. A woolen garment formerly worn by sailors; a jersey. 4. A robe worn by monks, friars, and other clerics; a habit.

anagram

n. 1. A word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain.

pagan

n. 1. A worshiper of false gods.

judicature

n. 1. Administration of justice. 2. The position, function, or authority of a judge. 3. The jurisdiction of a law court or judge. 4. A court or system of courts of law.

valediction

n. 1. An act of bidding farewell; a leave-taking. 2. A speech or statement made as a farewell. 3. A word or phrase of farewell used to end a letter or message.

avocation

n. 1. An activity taken up in addition to one's regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment; a hobby. 2. One's regular work or profession. 3. Archaic A distraction or diversion.

fiat

n. 1. An arbitrary order or decree. 2. Authorization or sanction: government _.

morass

n. 1. An area of low-lying, soggy ground. 2. Something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms: a _ of details.

sortie

n. 1. An armed attack, especially one made from a place surrounded by enemy forces. 2. A flight of a combat aircraft on a mission. intr.v. -ied, _ing, _ies To go on a _.

syndicate

n. 1. An association of people or firms authorized to undertake a duty or transact specific business. 2. An association of people or firms formed to engage in an enterprise or promote a common interest. 3. A loose affiliation of gangsters in control of organized criminal activities. 4. An agency that sells articles, features, or photographs for publication in a number of newspapers or periodicals simultaneously. 5. A company consisting of a number of separate newspapers; a newspaper chain. 6. The office, position, or jurisdiction of a _(-3) or body of _(-3).

comity

n. 1. An atmosphere of social harmony. 2. See _ of nations. 3. The principle by which the courts of one jurisdiction may accede or give effect to the laws or decisions of another.

laissez faire

n. 1. An economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws. 2. Noninterference in the affairs of others.

pageant

n. 1. An elaborate colourful parade or display protraying scenes from history or tradition, esp one involving rich costume. 2. Any magnificent or showy display, procession, etc.

leaven

n. 1. An element that causes fermentation and expansion of dough or batter. 2. An element that produces an altering or transforming influence. vb. 1. To add _ to and cause to rise. 2. To cause to rise by fermentation.

vagary

n. 1. An erratic or outlandish notion or action; whim. 2. an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.) Half fainting from pain and exhaustion, D'Arnot watched from beneath half-closed lids what seemed but the _ of delirium, or some horrid nightmare from which he must soon awake. Tarzan of the Apes by Burroughs, Edgar Rice

incubus

n. 1. An evil spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep. 2. A nightmare. 3. An oppressive or nightmarish burden.

prerogative

n. 1. An exclusive right or privelage held by a person or group, especially a hereditary or official right. 2. The exclusive right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: the principal's _ to suspend a student. 3. A special quality that confers superiority.

censure

n. 1. An expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. 2. An official rebuke, as by a legislature of one of its members. tr.v. 1. To criticize severely; blame. 2. To express official disapproval of: "whether the Senate will _ one of its members for conflict of interest" (Washington Post).

Methuselah

n. 1. An extremely old man (biblical reference). 2. An oversized wine bottle holding approx. 6 liters.

excise

n. 1. An internal tax imposed on the production, sale, or consumption of a commodity or the use of a service within a country: _ on tobacco, liquor, and long-distance telephone calls. 2. A licensing charge or a fee levied for certain privileges. tr.v. To levy an _ on. b.To remove by cutting.

prelude

n. 1. An introductory performance, event, or action preceding a more important one; a preface. 2. (Music) An introductory piece or movement.

bugaboo

n. 1. An object of obsessive, usually exaggerated fear or anxiety: "Boredom, laziness and failure: These _s, magnified by imagination, keep [the workaholic] running (Dun's Review). 2. A recurring or persistent problem: the _s that have plagued vision systems: high price and slow throughput" (Lawrence A. Goshorn). [Perhaps of Celtic origin.]

luminary

n. 1. An object, such as a celestial body, that gives light. 2. A person who has achieved eminance in a specific field.

tribune

n. 1. An officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians to protect their rights from arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates. 2. A protector or champion of the people. 3. A senior military officer. n. 1. A raised platform or dais from which a speaker addresses an assembly. 2. The usually domed or vaulted apse of a basilica.

apartheid

n. 1. An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites. 2. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups. 3. The condition of being separated from others; segregation.

onset

n. 1. An onslaught; an assault. 2. A beginning; a start: the onset of a cold.

gambit

n. 1. An opening in chess in which a minor piece, or pieces, usually a pawn, is offered in exchange for a favorable position. 2. A maneuver, stratagem, or ploy, especially one used at an initial stage. 3. A remark intended to open a conversation.

infidel

n. 1. An unbeliever with respect to a particular religion, esp. Christian or Islam. 2. One with no religious beliefs. 3. An unbeliever.

qualm

n. 1. An uneasy feeling about the rightness of something. 1. A sudden feeling of faintness, nausea, misgiving, or unease.

bagatelle

n. 1. An unimportant or insignificant thing; a trifle. 2. A short, light piece of verse or music. 3. A game played on an oblong table with a cue and balls.

stanchion

n. 1. An upright pole, post, or support. 2. Two upright poles with a thick rope between as in movie theatres or wherever there are lines. 3. A framework consisting of two or more vertical bars, used to secure cattle in a stall or at a feed. tr.v. 1. To equip with _s. 2. To confine (cattle) by means of _s.

renminbi

n. 1. Another name for the chinese currency, yuan.

nettle

n. 1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Urtica, having toothed leaves, unisexual apetalous flowers, and stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact. 2. Any of various hairy, stinging, or prickly plants. tr.v. _d,_(-1)ling, _s 1. To sting with or as if with a _. 2. To irritate; vex.

albatross

n. 1. Any of several large web-footed birds constituting the family Diomedeidae, chiefly of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, and having a hooked beak and long narrow wings. 2. a. A constant, worrisome burden. b. an obstacle to success.

nostrum

n. 1. Any scheme or recipe of a charlatan character. 2. A quack remedy.

decorum

n. 1. Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety: "In the Ireland of the 1940's ... the stolidity of a long, empty, grave face was thought to be the height of _ and profundity" (John McGahern).

apse

n. 1. Architecture A usually semicircular or polygonal, often vaulted recess, especially the termination of the sanctuary end(usually east) of a church.

elan

n. 1. Ardor 2. elegance 3. enthusiastic vigor. Impetuous or vigorous spirit or enthusiasm.

succor

n. 1. Assistance in time of distress; relief.

hagiography

n. 1. Biography of saints. 2. A worshipful or idealizing biography.

symbiosis

n. 1. Biology A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member. 2. A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence.

sterling

n. 1. British money. 2. The oficial standard of fineness of British coins. 3. Short for _ silver. adj. Genuine and reliable; first class.

stoichiometry

n. 1. Calculation of the quantities of reactants and products in a chemical reaction. 2. The quantitative relationship between reactants and products in a chemical reaction.

alacrity

n. 1. Cheerful willingness. 2. Speed or quickness.

treacle

n. 1. Cloying speech or sentiment. 2. Chiefly British Molasses. 3. A medicinal compound formerly used as an antidote for poison.

approbation

n. 1. Commendation; official recognition. 2. Sanction.

pantomime

n. 1. Communication by means of gesture and facial expression 2. Theatre characterized by such wordless storytelling.

durance

n. 1. Confinement. 2. Length of time.

rigamarole, rigmarole

n. 1. Confused, rambling, or incoherent discourse; nonsense. 2. A complicated, petty set of procedures.

homologous

n. 1. Corresponding or similar in position, value, structure, or function. 2. (Biology) Similar in structure and evolutionary origin, though not necessarily in function, as the flippers of a seal and the hands of a human. adj. Similar in evolutionary origin but not in function.

panache

n. 1. Dash; verve. 2. A bunch of feathers or plume, esp. on a helmet.

filigree

n. 1. Delicate and intricate ornamental work made from gold, silver, or other fine twisted wire. 2.a. An intricate, delicate, or fanciful ornamentation. b. A design resembling such ornamentation: _s of frosting on a cake.

turpitude

n. 1. Depravity; baseness. 2. A base act.

equipoise

n. 1. Equality in distribution, as of weight, relationship, or emotional forces; equilibrium. 2. A counterpoise; a counterbalance

rhapsody

n. 1. Exalted or excessively enthusiastic expression of feeling in speech or writing. 2. A literary work written in an impassioned or exalted style. 3. A state of elated bliss; ecstasy. 4. Music A usually instrumental composition of irregular form that often incorporates improvisation. 5. An ancient Greek epic poem or a portion of one suitable for uninterrupted recitation.

intemperance

n. 1. Excessive or immoderate indulgence. 2. Lack of restraint.

effete

n. 1. Exhausted. 2. Overrefined; effeminate. 3. No longer productive. _ is a disapproving term meaning decadent and self-indulgent, even useless. The stereotype of the rugged Westerner is just as false as the one of the _ East Coast liberal. The origin of the word effete is a little unexpected. Coming from the Latin effetus "out of, past childbearing," _ meant "exhausted, spent" long before it acquired the sense of morally exhausted and overly refined. This is the main use of the word today. Do you ever wonder why some _ party girls are considered celebrities? Star athletes run the risk of losing their edge and becoming _ posterboys for their sports. - from vocabulary.com

ardor

n. 1. Fiery intensity of feeling. See Synonyms at passion. 2. Strong enthusiasm or devotion; zeal: "The dazzling conquest of Mexico gave a new impulse to the _ of discovery" (William Hickling Prescott). 3. Intense heat or glow, as of fire.

raillery

n. 1. Good-natured teasing or ridicule; banter. 2. An instance of such.

grist

n. 1. Grain or a quantity of grain for grinding. 2. Ground grain. Idiom: _ for one's)/the mill: Something that can be used to advantage.

Chimera

n. 1. Greek Mythology A fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent. 2. An imaginary monster made up of grotesquely disparate parts. (sounds like kai-mera)

gerund

n. 1. In Latin, a noun derived from a verb and having all case forms except the nominative. 2. 2. In other languages, a verbal noun analogous to the Latin _, such as the English form ending in -ing when used as a noun, as in singing in We admired the choir's singing.

phylactery

n. 1. Judaism Either of two small leather boxes, each containing strips of parchment inscribed with quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, one of which is strapped to the forehead and the other to the left arm; traditionally worn by Jewish men during morning worship, except on the Sabbath and holidays. 2. a. An amulet. b. A reminder.

iniquity

n. 1. Lack of justice or righteousness; wickedness; injustice. 2. A wicked act; sin.

docket

n. 1. Law a. A calendar of the cases awaiting action in a court. b. A brief entry of the court proceedings in a legal case. c. The book containing such entries. 2. A summary or other brief statement of the contents of a document; an abstract. 3. A list of things to be done; an agenda.

hospice

n. 1. Lodging for travelers, esp. one kept by a monastic order. 2. A program of medical and emotional care for the terminally ill.

lancet

n. 1. Medicine A surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double-edged blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions. Also called lance. 2. Architecture a. A _ arch. b. A _ window.

admonition

n. 1. Mild, kind, yet earnest reproof. 2. Cautionary advice or warning.

flute

n. 1. Music a. A high-pitched woodwind instrument consisting of a slender tube closed at one end with keys and finger holes on the side and an opening near the closed end across which the breath is blown. Also called transverse _. b. Any of various similar reedless woodwind instruments, such as the recorder. c. An organ stop whose _(-3) pipe produces a _like tone. 2. a. Architecture A long, usually rounded groove incised as a decorative motif on the shaft of a column, for example. b. A similar groove or furrow, as in a pleated ruffle of cloth or on a piece of furniture. 3. A tall narrow wineglass, often used for champagne.

propinquity

n. 1. Nearness. 2. Kinship. 3. Similarity in nature.

flimflam

n. 1. Nonsense; humbug. 2. A deception; a swindle. tr.v. To swindle; cheat.

writ

n. 1. Now Rare something written; writing; document 2. A formal legal document ordering or prohibiting some action.

embolism

n. 1. Obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus. 2. An embolus. embolus: n. pl. em·bo·li (-l) A mass, such as an air bubble, a detached blood clot, or a foreign body, that travels through the bloodstream and lodges so as to obstruct or occlude a blood vessel.

bouffant

n. 1. Of hair, having extra height and width through back-combing; puffed out. 2. Of sleeves or skirts: puffed out.

umbrage

n. 1. Offense; resentment: took _ at their rudeness. 2. a. Something that affords shade. b. Shadow or shade. See Synonyms at shade. 3. A vague or indistinct indication; a hint.

troubadour

n. 1. One of a class of 12th-century and 13th-century lyric poets in Southern France, northern Italy, and northern Spain, who composed songs in langue d'oc often about courtly love. 2. A strolling minstrel.

acolyte

n. 1. One who assists the celebrant in the performance of liturgical rites. 2. A devoted follower or attendant.

pedant

n. 1. One who pays undue attention to book learning and formal rules. 2. One who exhibits one's learning or scholarship ostentatiously. 3. (Obsolete) A schoolmaster.

curriculum vitae

n. A summary of your academic and work history.

regent

n. 1. One who rules during the minority, absence, or disability of a monarch. 2. One acting as a ruler or governor. 3. A member of a board that governs an institution, such as a state university.

huckster

n. 1. One who sells wares or provisions in the street; a peddler or hawker.

wastrel

n. 1. One who wastes, especially one who wastes money; a profligate. 2. An idler or a loafer.

consanguinity

n. 1. Relationship by blood or by a common ancestor. 2. A close affinity or connection.

reprisal

n. 1. Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return. 2. Forcible seizure of an enemy's goods or subjects in retaliation for injuries inflicted. 3. The practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war.

indemnity

n. 1. Security against damage, loss, or injury. 2. A legal exemption from liability for damages. 3. Compensation for damage, loss, or injury suffered. See Synonyms at reparation.

dregs

n. 1. Sediment at the bottom of a liquid. 2. The small amount left.

alluvion

n. 1. See _ium. 2. The flow of water against a shore or bank. 3. Inundation by water; flood. 4. Law The increasing of land area along a shore by deposited _ium or by the recession of water. [Latin alluvi, alluvin-, from alluere, to wash against : ad-, ad- + -luere, to wash; see leu()- in Indo-European roots.]

gall

n. 1. See bile. 2. a. Bitterness of feeling; rancor. b. Something bitter to endure: the _ of defeat. 3. Outrageous insolence; effrontery. [Middle English, from Old English gealla, galla; see ghel-2 in Indo-European roots.

continence

n. 1. Self-restraint; moderation. 2. Voluntary control over urinary and fecal discharge. 3. Partial or complete abstention from sexual activity. See Synonyms at abstinence.

stricture

n. 1. Severe criticism 2. Abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway. 3. A restraint, limit, or restriction.

paucity

n. 1. Smallness in number. 2. Scarcity.

hosiery

n. 1. Socks and stockings; hose. 2. Underclothing.

scourge

n. 1. Something causing misery or death 2. Someone who inspires fear or dread. 3. a whip used for punishment or torture vb (tr) 1. to whip; flog 2. to punish severely

bete noir

n. 1. Something especially hated or dreaded; a bugbear. (sounds like bet-new-are)

humbug

n. 1. Something intended to deceive; a hoax or fraud. 2. A person who claims to be other than what he or she is; an impostor. 3. Nonsense; rubbish. 4. Pretense; deception.

effulgence

n. 1. Splendor. 2. A brilliant radiance.

scrum

n. 1. Sports a. A play in Rugby in which the two sets of forwards mass together around the ball and, with their heads down, struggle to gain possession of the ball. b. The mass or formation of players during such a play. 2. Chiefly British A disordered or confused situation involving a number of people. intr.v. _ed, _ing, _s To engage in a _.

apoplexy

n. 1. Stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain. 2. Fit of rage.

animadversion

n. 1. Strong criticism. 2. A critical or censorious remark.

pontiff

n. 1. The Pope. 2. A bishop.

Madonna

n. 1. The Virgin Mary. 2. A picture or statue representing the Virgin Mary. 3. (archaic) an Italian title of formal address to a woman.

unction

n. 1. The act of anointing as part of a religious, ceremonial, or healing ritual. 2. An ointment or oil; a salve.

machination

n. 1. The act of plotting. 2. A crafty scheme or cunning design for the accomplishment of a sinister end.

ligature

n. 1. The act of tying or binding. 2. a. A cord, wire, or bandage used for tying or binding. b. A thread, wire, or cord used in surgery to close vessels or tie off ducts. c. Something that unites; a bond. 3. A character, letter, or type, such as æ, combining two or more letters. 4. (Music) a. A group of notes intended to be played or sung as one phrase. b. A curved line indicating such a phrase; a slur. c. A passage of notes sung by repeating the same syllable. d. A metal band that attaches the reed to the mouthpiece of the clarinet and related instruments.

reparation

n. 1. The act or process of making amends. 2. Compensation exacted as an indemnity from a defeated nation by the victors: esp the compensation demanded of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I 3. the act or process of repairing or state of having been repaired.

gastronomy

n. 1. The art of good eating. 2. (Cookery) the type of cookery of a particular region; the _ of Proven.

fresco

n. 1. The art of painting on fresh, moist plaster with pigments dissolved in water. 2. A painting executed in this way. tr.v. _ed, _·ing, _es To paint in _. [Italian, fresh (plaster), of Germanic origin.]

elocution

n. 1. The art of public speaking in which gesture, vocal production, and delivery are emphasized. 2. A style or manner of speaking, especially in public.

augury

n. 1. The art or practice of divination 2. An omen; a sign of portent.

jaundice

n. 1. Yellowish discoloration of the whites of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes caused by deposition of bile salts in these tissues. It occurs as a symptom of various diseases, such as hepatitis, that affect the processing of bile. Also called icterus. 2. A state or feeling of negativity or bitterness arising especially from envy or world-weariness. tr.v. 1. To affect with the discoloration of _. 2. To affect with the negativity or bitterness of _. See Synonyms at bias.

gest

n. A tale, especially of someone's notable adventures or exploits.

diaspora

n. 1. The dispersion of Jews outside of Israel from the sixth century b.c.,when they were exiled to Babylonia, until the present time. 2. often _ The body of Jews or Jewish communities outside Palestine or modern Israel. 3. _ a. A dispersion of a people from their original homeland. b. The community formed by such a people: "the glutinous dish known throughout the [West African] _ as ... fufu" (Jonell Nash). 4. _ A dispersion of an originally homogeneous entity, such as a language or culture: "the _ of English into several mutually incomprehensible languages" (Randolph Quirk). [Greek diaspor, dispersion, from diaspeirein, to spread about : dia-, apart; see dia- + speirein, to sow, scatter; see sper- in Indo-European roots.]

nit

n. 1. The egg or young of a parasitic insect, such as a louse. 2. A unit of brightness.

dauphin

n. 1. The eldest son of the king of France from 1349 to 1830. 2. Used as a title for such a nobleman. (sounds like dolphin)

luminescence

n. 1. The emission of light that does not derive energy from the temperature of the emitting body, as in phosphorescence, fluorescence, and bioluminescence. It is caused by chemical, biochemical, or crystallographic changes, the motions of subatomic particles, or radiation-induced excitation of an atomic system. 2. The light so emitted.

fiefdom

n. 1. The estate or domain of a feudal lord. 2. Something over which one dominant person or group exercises control.

egoism

n. 1. The ethical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest. 2. Concern with one's own well-being and interest.

mein

n. 1. The external appearance or manner of a person, especially as it reveals an inner state of mind. 2. How you present yourself, the impression you make

serendipity

n. 1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. 2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries. 3. An instance of making such a discovery.

hinterland

n. 1. The land directly adjacent to and inland from a coast. 2.a. A region remote from urban areas; backcountry. b. A region situated beyond metropolitan centers of culture.

coptic

n. 1. The liturgical language of the Coptic Church used in Egypt and Ethiopia; written in the Greek alphabet. 2. The ancient and now extinct language of Egypt under the Pharaohs; written records date back to 3000 BC. adj. Of or relating otthe Copts or their church or language or art.

catachresis

n. 1. The misapplication of a word or phrase, as the use of blatant to mean "flagrant." 2. The use of a strained figure of speech, such as a mixed metaphor.

acculturation

n. 1. The modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with a different culture. 2. The process by which the culture of a particular society is instilled in a human from infancy onward.

parricide

n. 1. The murdering of one's father, mother, or other near relative. 2. One who commits such a murder. [Latin parricda and parricdium : pri-, parri-, kin + -cda, -cdium, -cide.]

papacy

n. 1. The office and jurisdiction of a pope. 2. The period of time during which a pope is in office. 3. A succession or line of popes.

estuary

n. 1. The part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides. 2. An arm of the sea that extends inland to meet the mouth of a river.

jurisprudence

n. 1. The philosophy or science of law. 2. A division or department of law: medical _. [Late Latin irisprdentia : Latin iris, genitive of is, law; see yewes- in Indo-European roots + Latin prdentia, knowledge (from prdns, prdent-, knowing; see prudent).]

plurality

n. 1. The state of being plural or numerous. 2. (Mathematics) A number greater than one. 3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the US and Canadian term for relative majority. 4. A large number. 5. The greater number; majority.

thrall

n. 1. The state or condition of being in the power of another person 2. a person who is in such a state 3. a person totally subject to some need, desire, appetite, etc. vb(tr) To enslave or dominate.

infirmity

n. 1. The state or quality of being infirm. 2. Physical weakness or debility; frailty. 3. A moral flaw or failing.

exigency

n. 1. The state or quality of requiring much effort or immediate action. 2. A pressing or urgent situation.

libretto

n. 1. The text of a dramatic musical work, such as an opera. 2. A book containing such a text.

malediction

n. 1. The utterance of a curse against someone or something 2. Slanderous accusation or comment.

slag

n. 1. The vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting of metallic ore.

altruism

n. 1. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness. 2. Zoology Instinctive behavior that is detrimental to the individual but favors the survival or spread of that individual's genes, as by benefiting its relatives.

encomium

n. 1. Warm, glowing praise. 2. A formal expression of praise.

languor

n. 1. Weariness 2. Feeling of dreaminess and relaxation. 3. Oppressive silence or stillnes.

provenance

n. 1. Where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence. 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (Social Science / Archaeology) a place of origin, esp that of a work of art or archaeological specimen: The _ of the ancient manuscript has never been determined. [from French, from provenir, from Latin provenire to originate, from venire to come]

bilge

n. 1. Where the sides of the vessel curve in to form the bottom. 2. water accumulated in this part of a ship

pinion

n. 1. Wing of a bird 2 A gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel or rack.

bumper

n. A cup or glass filled to the brim, especially one to be drunk as a toast or health.

portmanteau

n. 1. _ word is a combination of 2 words and their definitions into one word. 2. (formerly) a large travelling case made of stiff leather, esp one hinged at the back so as to open out into two compartments 3. (modifier) embodying several uses or qualities: the heroine is a _ figure of all the virtues. [from French: cloak carrier, from porter to carry + manteau cloak, mantle]

efflorescence

n. 1. a bursting forth or flowering 2. the period of greatest prosperity or productivity. 3. (Chemistry) Chem Geology a. the process of _(-4)ing b. the powdery substance formed as a result of this process, esp on the surface of rocks 4. (Medicine / Pathology) any skin rash or eruption.

gyre

n. 1. a circular or spiral movement or path 2. a ring, circle, or spiral vb(intr) to whirl.

artifice

n. 1. a clever expedient; ingenious stratagem 2. crafty or subtle deception 3. skill; cleverness 4. a skilfully contrived device 5. Obsolete craftsmanship [from Old French, from Latin artificium skill, from artifex one possessed of a specific skill, from ars skill + -fex, from facere to make]

dictum

n. 1. a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement 2. A popular saying or maxim.

transom

n. 1. a horizontal member that separates a door from a window over it 2. the window itself. 3. a. a surface forming the stern of a vessel, either vertical or canted either forwards (reverse _) or aft at the upper side b. any of several transverse beams used for strengthening the stern of a vessel.

bedlam

n. 1. a noisy confused place or situation; state of uproar his speech caused _.

ballyhoo

n. 1. a noisy, confused, or nonsensical situation or uproar 2. (Business / Marketing) sensational or blatant advertising or publicity.

cynosure

n. 1. a person or thing that attracts notice, esp because of its brilliance or beauty 2. something that provides guidance. (rhymes with 'sign of sure')

bane

n. 1. a person or thing that causes misery or distress (esp in the phrase _ of one's life) 2. something that causes death or destruction 3. a. A fatal poison. b. (in combination) rats_. 4. Archaic ruin or distress.

exemplar

n. 1. a person or thing to be copied or imitated; model 2. a typical specimen or instance; example 3. (Library Science & Bibliography) A copy of a book or text on which further printings have been based.

Philistine

n. 1. a person who is unreceptive to or hostile towards culture, the arts, etc.; a smug boorish person 2. (Social Science / Peoples) a member of the non-Semitic people who inhabited ancient Philistia adj 1. (sometimes not capital) boorishly uncultured 2. (Social Science / Peoples) of or relating to the ancient Philistines

interlocutor

n. 1. a person who takes part in a conversation 2. Also called middleman the man in the centre of a troupe of minstrels who engages the others in talk or acts as announcer.

cavalcade

n. 1. a procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc. 2. any procession; a _of guests

rejoinder

n. 1. a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one); retort. 2. (Law)(in pleading) the answer made by a defendant to the claimant's reply.

quid pro quo

n. 1. a reciprocal exchange 2. something given in compensation, esp an advantage or object given in exchange for another.

creches

n. 1. a representation of the Nativity scene 2: day nursery 3: a foundling hospital 4: a group of young animals (as penguins or bats) gathered in one place for care and protection usually by one or more adults. (rymes with fresh)

appurtenance

n. 1. a secondary or less significant thing or part. 2. (plural) accessories or equipment. 3. (Law) Property law a minor right, interest, or privilege which passes when the title to the principal property is transferred. [from Anglo-French apurtenance, from Old French apartenance, from apartenir to appertain]

goad

n. 1. a sharp pointed stick for urging on cattle, etc. 2. anything that acts as a spur or incitement v.tr. to drive with or as if with a _; spur; incite.

tine

n. 1. a slender prong, esp of a fork2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) any of the sharp terminal branches of a deer's antler. [Old English tind; related to Old Norse tindr, Old High German zint]

homunculus

n. 1. a small man or midget. 2. formerly, the microcosmic human form believed to be present in spermatozoon.

interstice

n. 1. a small structural space between tissues or parts of an organ. 2. small opening between things.

mausoleum

n. 1. a stately and magnificent tomb or building housing tombs. 2. a burial place for the bodies or remains of many individuals, often of a single family, usually in the form of a small building. 3. a large, gloomy, depressing building, room, or the like.

cataclysm

n. 1. a violent upheaval, esp of a political, military, or social nature. 2. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a disastrous flood; deluge 3. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) another name for catastrophe.

coquette

n. 1. a woman who flirts. 2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any hummingbird of the genus Lophornis, esp the crested Brazilian species L. magnifica. [from French, feminine of COQUET].

garland

n. 1. a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, etc., worn round the head or neck or hung up 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) A representation of such a wreath, as in painting, sculpture, etc. 3. (Literature / Poetry) a collection of short literary pieces, such as ballads or poems; miscellany or anthology 4. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical a ring or grommet of rope. vb(tr) To deck or adorn with a _ or _s

transcript

n. 1. a written, typed, or printed copy or manuscript made by _(-2)bing 2. (Social Science / Education) Education chiefly US and Canadian an official record of a student's school progress and achievements 3. any reproduction or copy

solecism

n. 1. a. (Linguistics / Grammar) The nonstandard use of a grammatical construction, sometimes a minor blunder ins speech. b. Any mistake, incongruity, or absurdity. 2. A violation of etiquette or decorum.

ultramarine

n. 1. a. A blue pigment made from powdered lapis lazuli. b. A similar pigment made synthetically by heating clay, sodium carbonate, and sulfur together. 2. A vivid or strong blue to purplish blue. adj. 1. Of the color _. 2. Of or from a place beyond the sea.

calico

n. 1. a. A coarse cloth with a bright print. b. Chiefly British A plain white cotton cloth, heavier than muslin. 2. Artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers. 3. An animal, such as a cat, having a coat that is mottled in tones of white with red and black. 4. Having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly.

waif

n. 1. a. A homeless person, especially a forsaken or orphaned child. b. An abandoned young animal. 2. Something found and unclaimed, as an object cast up by the sea.

epoch

n. 1. a. A particular period of history, especially one considered remarkable or noteworthy. b. A notable event that marks the beginning of such a period. See Synonyms at period. 2. A unit of geologic time that is a division of a period. 3. Astronomy An instant in time that is arbitrarily selected as a point of reference.

tart

n. 1. a. A pastry shell with shallow sides, no top crust, and any of various fillings. b. Chiefly British A pie. 2. a. A prostitute. b. A woman considered to be sexually promiscuous.

arcade

n. 1. a. A series of arches supported by columns, piers, or pillars, either freestanding or attached to a wall to form a gallery. b. A series of arches employed for decorative purposes. 2. A roofed passageway or lane, especially one with shops on one or both sides. 3. A commercial establishment featuring rows of coin-operated games.

stiletto

n. 1. a. A small dagger with a slender, tapering blade. b. Something shaped like such a dagger. 2. A small, sharp-pointed instrument used for making eyelet holes in needlework.

millet

n. 1. a. An annual grass cultivated in Eurasia for its grains and in North America for hay. b. The white grains of this plant. 2. Any of several similar or reltated grasses.

warren

n. 1. a. An area where rabbits live in burrows. b. A colony of rabbits. See Synonyms at flock.

coriander

n. 1. a. An aromatic annual Eurasian herb in the parsley family, having parsleylike leaves and umbels of tiny white to pinkish flowers. It is cultivated for its edible fruits, leafy shoots, and roots.US and Canadian name: cilantro

consortium

n. 1. a. An association or a combination, as of businesses, financial institutions, or investors, for the purpose of engaging in a joint venture. b. A cooperative arrangement among groups or institutions: a library _. 2. An association or society. 3. Law The right of a spouse to the company of, help of, affection of, and sexual relations with his or her mate. [Latin, fellowship, from cnsors, cnsort-, partner; see consort.]

yeoman

n. 1. a. An attendant, servant, or lesser official in a royal or noble household. b. A _ of the guard. 2. A petty officer performing chiefly clerical duties in the U.S. Navy. 3. An assistant or other subordinate, as of a sheriff. 4. A diligent, dependable worker. 5. A farmer who cultivates his own land, especially a member of a former class of small freeholders in England.

anamorphosis

n. 1. a. An image that appears distorted unless it is viewed from a special angle or with a special instrument. b. The production of such an image. 2. Evolutionary increase in complexity of form and function. [New Latin anamorphsis, from Late Greek anamorphoun, to transform : Greek ana-, ana- + Greek morph, shape.]

distemper

n. 1. a. An infectious viral disease occurring in dogs, characterized by loss of appetite, a catarrhal discharge from the eyes and nose, vomiting, fever, lethargy, partial paralysis caused by destruction of myelinated nerve tissue, and sometimes death. Also called canine _. b. A similar viral disease of cats characterized by fever, vomiting, diarrhea leading to dehydration, and sometimes death. Also called feline _, panleukopenia. c. Any of various similar mammalian diseases. 2. An illness or disease; an ailment. 3. Ill humor; testiness. 4. Disorder or disturbance, especially of a social or political nature.

corpuscle

n. 1. a. An unattached body cell, such as a blood or lymph cell. b. A rounded globular mass of cells, such as the pressure receptor on certain nerve endings. 2. A discrete particle, such as a photon or an electron. 3. A minute globular particle.

debauchery

n. 1. a. Extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures; dissipation. b. _(-3)s Orgies.

bulkhead

n. 1. a. One of the upright partitions dividing a ship into compartments and serving to add structural rigidity and to prevent the spread of leakage or fire. b. A partition or wall serving a similar purpose in a vehicle, such as an aircraft or spacecraft. 2. A wall or an embankment, as in a mine or along a waterfront, that acts as a protective barrier. 3. Chiefly New England A horizontal or sloping structure providing access to a cellar stairway.

assay

n. 1. a. Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a metal or ore to determine its components. b. A substance to be so analyzed. c. The result of such an analysis. 2. An analysis or examination. 3. A bioassay. 4. Archaic An attempt; an essay.

annuity

n. 1. a. The annual payment of an allowance or income. b. The right to receive this payment or the obligation to make this payment. 2. A contract or agreement by which one receives fixed payments on an investment for a lifetime or for a specified number of years.

prelacy

n. 1. a. The office or station of a _(-2)te b. _(-2)tes considered as a group. 2. Church government adminstrated by _(-2)tes. Note: def of _(-2)te: n. A high-ranking member of the clergy, especially a bishop.

curio

n. A curious or unusual object of art or piece of bric-a-brac.

varlet

n. A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel.

apothegm, apophthegm

n. A terse, witty, instructive saying; a maxim.

vicar

n. 1. a. The priest of a parish in the Church of England who receives a stipend or salary but does not receive the tithes of a parish. b. A cleric in charge of a chapel in the Episcopal Church of the United States. c. A cleric acting in the place of a rector or bishop in the Anglican Communion generally. 2. Roman Catholic Church A priest who acts for or represents another, often higher-ranking member of the clergy. [Middle English, from Old French vicaire, from Latin vicrius, vicarious, a substitute, from vicis, genitive of *vix, change; see weik-2 in Indo-European roots.] Abbr. Vic.

allegory

n. 1. a. The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. b. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. 2. A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an _ of justice.

samizdat

n. 1. a. The secret publication and distribution of government-banned literature in the former Soviet Union. b. The literature produced by this system. 2. An underground press.

accord

n. 1. agreement; conformity; accordance (esp in the phrase in _ with) 2. consent or concurrence of opinion with one accord unanimously 4. pleasing relationship between sounds, colours, etc.; harmony 5. a settlement of differences, as between nations; compromise of one's own _ voluntarily vb. 1. to be or cause to be in harmony or agreement 2. (tr) to grant; bestow [via Old French from Latin ad- to + cord-, stem of cor heart]

depredation

n. 1. an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding. 2. Damage; loss.

opus

n. 1. an artistic composition, esp a musical work 2. (Music / Classical Music) (often capital) (usually followed by a number) a musical composition by a particular composer, generally catalogued in order of publication Beethoven's _ 61 is his violin concerto Abbreviation op [from Latin: a work; compare Sanskrit apas work]

junket

n. 1. an excursion, esp one made for pleasure at public expense by a public official or committee 2. (Cookery) a sweet dessert made of flavoured milk set to a curd with rennet 3. a feast or festive occasion vb. 1. (intr) (of a public official, committee, etc.) to go on a _ 2. to have or entertain with a feast or festive gathering [C14 (in the sense: rush basket, hence custard served on rushes): from Old French (dialect) jonquette, from jonc rush, from Latin juncus reed]

rostrum

n. 1. any platform, stage, or dais on which public speakers stand to address an audience 2. (Music / Classical Music) a platform or dais in front of an orchestra on which the conductor stands 3. (Transport / Nautical Terms) (Historical Terms) another word for ram [5] 4. (Historical Terms) (Transport / Nautical Terms) the prow or beak of an ancient Roman ship 5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology Zoology a beak or beaklike part [from Latin rostrum beak, ship's prow, from rodere to nibble, gnaw; in plural, rostra, orator's platform, because this platform in the Roman forum was adorned with the prows of captured ships]

vainglory

n. 1. boastfulness or vanity. 2. ostentation.

dotage

n. 1. feebleness of mind, esp as a result of old age 2. foolish infatuation [from dote + -age]

verve

n. 1. great vitality, enthusiasm, and liveliness; sparkle 2. a rare word for talent [from Old French: garrulity, from Latin verba words, chatter]

animus

n. 1. intense dislike; hatred; animosity 2. motive, intention, or purpose 3. (Psychology) (in Jungian psychology) the masculine principle present in the female unconscious.

privation

n. 1. loss or lack of the necessities of life, such as food and shelter 2. hardship resulting from this 3. the state of being deprived 4. (Philosophy / Logic) Obsolete the absence from an object of what ordinarily or naturally belongs to such objects [from Latin privatio deprivation]

clemency

n. 1. mercy or leniency 2. mildness, esp of the weather from Latin clementia, from clemens gentle]

frippery

n. 1. ornate or showy clothing or adornment 2. showiness; ostentation 3. unimportant considerations; trifles; trivia.

semblance

n. 1. outward appearance, esp without any inner substance or reality. 2. a resemblance or copy

gentry

n. 1. persons of high birth or social standing; aristocracy 2. Brit persons just below the nobility in social rank 3. Informal, often derogatory people, esp of a particular group or kind; another commuter from the suburban gentry. [from Old French genterie, from gentil gentle]

hubris

n. 1. pride or arrogance. 2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc., ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin [from Greek]

verisimilitude

n. 1. the appearance or semblance of truth or reality; quality of seeming true 2. something that merely seems to be true or real, such as a doubtful statement [from Latin verisimilitudo, from verus true + similitudo similitude]

fruition

n. 1. the attainment or realization of something worked for or desired; fulfilment 2. enjoyment of this 3. the act or condition of bearing fruit.

antithesis

n. 1. the exact opposite 2. in contrast or opposition.

haunch

n. 1. the loin and leg of a quadruped; the part of an animal that corresponds to the human buttocks. 2. The hip and buttock and upper thigh in human beings.

eponym

n. 1. the name of a real or legendary person that has been applied to a thing, institution, etc, as atlas. 2. the name of a person that is used to describe a time or period, as the Augustan Age.

nib

n. 1. the writing point of a pen, esp an insertable tapered metal part with a split tip 2. a point, tip, or beak

veracity

n. 1. truthfulness or honesty, esp when consistent or habitual. 2. precision; accuracy. 3. something true; a truth.

peroration

n. 1.(rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration "he summarized his main points in his _" 1. A flowery and highly rhetorical oration. (rhymes with 'terror nation', 3rd syllable is accented)

accretion

n. 1.a. Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion. b. Something contributing to such growth or increase: "the _s of paint that had buried the door's details like snow" (Christopher Andreae). 2. Biology The growing together or adherence of parts that are normally separate. 3. Geology a. Slow addition to land by deposition of water-borne sediment. b. An increase of land along the shores of a body of water, as by alluvial deposit. 4. Astronomy An increase in the mass of a celestial object by the collection of surrounding interstellar gases and objects by gravity.

husbandry

n. 1.a. The act or practice of cultivating crops and breeding and raising livestock; agriculture. b. The application of scientific principles to agriculture, especially to animal breeding. 2. Careful management or conservation of resources; economy.

physiognomy

n. 1.a. The art of judging human character from facial features. 1.b. Divination based on facial features.

bequest

n. 1.a. the act of bequeathing b. something that is bequeathed 2. (Law) Law a gift of property by will, esp personal property Compare devise [be- + Old English -cwiss degree; see bequeath]

kip

n. 1: Sleep; a place to sleep; a bed. 2: v.i. To sleep or nap. 3: n. The hide of a young or small animal or a bundle of such hides.

bolero

n. A Spanish dance, illustrative of the passion of love, accompanied by castinets and singing.

conservatory

n. A _ is a place to grow. It could be one of those glass greenhouses where rare and delicate plants can thrive. Or it could be a place to grow your artistic talent — like a music _. A _ can conserve more than just plants; it can conserve culture, too. And so we have the _ as a school for the fine arts, in particular ballet and classical music — [often known by their fancy French title, conservatoire. The word comes from the Latin word conservare, meaning "to preserve."]

tyro

n. A beginner in learning something. (sounds like pyro)

benison

n. A blessing; a benediction.

rebuff

n. A blunt or abrupt repulse or refusal, as to an offer. v.tr. 1. To reject bluntly, often disdainfully; snub. 2. To repel or drive back.

hector

n. A blustering bully. v. To bully or torment.

barcarole

n. A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers.

brigade

n. A body of troops consisting of two or more regiments.

baize

n. A bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables.

tureen

n. A broad, deep, usually covered dish used for serving foods such as soups or stews. [French terrine, from Old French, from feminine of terrin, earthen, from Vulgar Latin *terrnus, from Latin terra, earth; see ters- in Indo-European roots.]

reliquary

n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept.

God's Acre

n. A cemetary.

vicissitude

n. A change, especially a complete change, of condition or circumstances, as of fortune.

cantata

n. A choral composition.

necropolis

n. A city of the dead.

proviso

n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered conditional.

bon mot

n. A clever saying; a witticism. [French : bon, good + mot, word.]

lummox

n. A clumsy or stupid person.

corniche

n. A coastal road, especially one cut into the side of a cliff.

Limerent

n. A cognitive and emotional state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person.

dossier

n. A collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject. [French, from Old French, bundle of papers labeled on the back, from dos, back, from Latin dorsum.]

menagerie

n. A collection of wild animals, especially when kept for exhibition.

heuristic

n. A commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem.

frond

n. A compound leaf — that is, a leaf with many fine and deep divisions — is a _, such as on ferns and palm trees. In parts of the United States and Canada, you may eat the _s of fiddlehead ferns, which are cooked and served as a vegetable.

malaise

n. A condition of discomfort, unease, or ill-being.

gourmand

n. A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table.

omerta

n. A conspiracy of silence. Usually as practiced by the Mafia; a refusal to give evidence to the police about criminal activities.

dastard

n. A contemptible, sneaking, malicious coward.

gridiron

n. A cooking utensil of parallel metal bars; used to grill fish or meat. 2. The playing field on which football is played.

inquisition

n. A court or tribunal for examination and punishment of heretics.

caitiff

n. A cowardly and despicable person. adj. cowardly, despicable.

recreant

n. A cowardly or faithless person.

shillelagh

n. A cudgel of oak, blackthorn, or other hardwood. [After _, a village of east-central Ireland.] (ordinance) _ - A United States weapon system including a gun launcher and a fire-control system mounted on the main battle tank and assault reconnaissance vehicle for employment against enemy armor, troops, and field fortifications; it is guided by an infrared command link. (sounds like ukulele)

festoon

n. A decorative string of flowers that you drape across a room, dropping in curves between support points. Strictly speaking it does not always have to be flowers. _ probably comes from the Italian word festone, for "feast,

crevasse

n. A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier.

ravine

n. A deep narrow valley or gorge in the earth's surface worn by running water.

thicket

n. A dense growth of small trees, shrubs, and similar plants; a copse.

lexicon

n. A dictionary.

antipode

n. A direct or diametrical opposite. (sounds like 'ant-apode')

injunction

n. A directive prohibiting a party from a specific course of action.

ostentation

n. A display dictated by vanity and intended to invite applause or flattery.

declivity

n. A downward slope or bend.

clipper

n. A fast sailing vessel.

odium

n. A feeling of extreme repugnance, or of dislike and disgust.

succubus

n. A female evil spirit or demon thought in medieval times to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with sleeping men.

fete

n. A festival or feast. (sounds like 'feet')

stipend

n. A fixed and regular payment, such as a salary for services rendered or an allowance.

propylene

n. A flammable gas produced by cracking (breaking down) petroleum and used to make plastics and isopropyl alcohol.

savannah

n. A flat grassland of tropical or subtropical regions. [Obsolete Spanish çavana, from Taino zabana.]

flotilla

n. A fleet of small craft.

azalea

n. A flowering shrub.

precursor

n. A forerunner or herald.

bustier

n. A formfitting sleeveless and usually strapless woman's top, worn as lingerie and often as evening attire. (sounds like 'boost-yay') [French, from buste, bust; see bust1.]

pirouette

n. A full turn of the body on the point of the toe or the ball of the foot in ballet. intr.v. To execute a such an action.

nebula

n. A gaseous body of unorganized stellar substance.

zephyr

n. A gentle breeze.

beau geste

n. A gracious, but often meaningless in substance, gesture.

maharaja

n. A great Hindu prince. Above a rajah.

travesty

n. A grotesque imitation.

retinue

n. A group of people who accompany an important person during travels.

triumvirate

n. A group of three men responsible for public administration or civil authority.

cicerone

n. A guide who conducts and informs sightseers.

pyre

n. A heap of comubstibles arranged for burning a dead body.

brocade

n. A heavy fabric interwoven with a rich, raised design. [Spanish or Portuguese brocado, from Italian brocato, from brocco, twisted thread, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, spike, from Latin brocchus, projecting, of Celtic origin.]

vizier

n. A high officer in a Muslim government, especially in the Ottoman Empire.

prelate

n. A high-ranking member of the clergy, such as a cardinal, abbot, or bishop; especially a bishop.

bier

n. A horizontal framework with two handles at each end for carrying a corpse to the grave.

palomino

n. A horse with a golden or tan coat and a white or cream-colored mane and tail, thought to have been developed from Arabian stock.

operetta

n. A humorous play in dialogue and music, of more than one act.

phlogiston

n. A hypothetical substance once believed to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning. (sounds like 'flow just on')

peon

n. A laborer who is obliged to do menial work. Peon was a Mexican word originally, meaning an agricultural worker in servitude to his landlord. Today, peon has a more comic ring to it and is usually used in fun — though if you are a personal assistant to a tyrannical Hollywood star, for example, it's probably no laughing matter.

armada

n. A large fleet.

chateau

n. A large rural house; also refers to a wine-country estate.

galleon

n. A large three-masted sailing ship with a square rig and usually two or more decks, used from the 15th to the 17th century especially by Spain as a merchant ship or warship. [Spanish galeon, from Old Spanish, augmentative of galea, galley, from Old French galie; see galley.

caliph

n. A leader of an Islamic polity, regarded as a successor of Muhammad and by tradition always male. [Middle English calife, from Old French, from Arabic alfa, successor (to Muhammad), caliph, from alafa, to succeed; see lp in Semitic roots.]

demagogue

n. A leader who obtains power through appealing to the prejudices and passions of the mob.

lien

n. A legal claim or hold on a property, as scecurity for a debt or charge.

bombardier

n. A person who has charge of mortars, bombs, and shells.

Rubicon

n. A limit that when passed or exceeded permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment. [Latin Rubic, Rubicn-, Rubicon, a short river of north-central Italy, the crossing of which by Julius Caesar and his army in 49 b.c. began a civil war.]

liniment

n. A liquid preparation for rubbing on the skin in cases of bruises, inflammation, etc.

occident

n. A literary or formal word for west Compare orient. [via Old French from Latin occidere to fall, go down (with reference to the setting sun); see occasion]

abscess

n. A localized collection of pus formed as the product of inflammation and usually caused by bacteria.

fjord

n. A long, narrow inlet of the sea, bordered by steep cliffs, and carved by glacial action.

drumlin

n. A long, narrow, whale-shaped hill of gravel, rock, and clay debris, formed by the movement of a glacier.

virago

n. A loud talkative woman, strong statured woman.

fanfare

n. A loud, proud burst of something to get attention. If you open up a carpet store with one of those sky-sweeping lights, lots of balloons, and a brass band, you're doing it with great _. Originally fanfare meant a short burst of music played by trumpeters, usually when someone important entered a room. But these days we describe anything as fanfare that has the same feeling as a burst of trumpets. If you're a TV executive with a new show you think is going to be a big hit, roll it out with _-—ad campaigns, billboards, celebrity parties!

billet-doux

n. A love letter. More of a love note.

sybarite

n. A luxurious person. A person devoted to pleasure and luxury.

Lothario

n. A man who is a rake, libertine, or seducer.

floe

n. A mass or sheet of floating ice.

maestro

n. A master in an art, especially a composer, conductor, or music teacher.

repast

n. A meal or the food provided at a meal. Figuratively, any refreshment.

balsam

n. A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing. Made from aromatic tree & plant resins.

analgesic

n. A medication that causes insensitivity to pain.

gourd

n. A melon, pumpkin, squash, or some similar fruit having a hard rind.

grenadier

n. A member of a regiment composed of men of great stature.

psychosis

n. A mental state caused by psychiatric or organic illness, characterized by a loss of contact with reality and an inability to think rationally. A (-3)_ person often behaves inappropriately and is incapable of normal social functioning.

catechesis

n. A method of oral instruction involving question and answer techniques, esp. for the basic doctrines of Christianity.

mauve

n. A moderate grayish violet to moderate reddish purple. [French, from Old French mallow, from Latin malva; see mallow.]

cinema verite

n. A movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director.

oratorio

n. A musical composition for voices and orchestra, telling a sacred story without costumes, scenery, or dramatic action.

lyre

n. A musical instrument of ancient Greece consisting of a soundbox made typically from a turtle shell, with two curved arms connected by a yoke from which strings are stretched to the body, used especially to accompany singing and recitation.

stenosis

n. A narrowing of a passage, vessel, or an opening in the body.

Paper Tiger

n. A nation, institution, etc. which is outwardly strong and powerful but is in fact powerless and ineffectual.

proclivity

n. A natural tendency to like something. _ comes from the Latin word _is, which literally means "sloping forward." You slide toward a _ — no effort is needed. You just give in to it, since you're headed in that direction naturally.

proselyte

n. A new convert to a doctrine or religion.

affray

n. A noisy brawl.

rumpus

n. A noisy clamor.

fracas

n. A noisy, disorderly fight or quarrel; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl. [French, from Italian fracasso, from fracassare, to make an uproar.]

loam

n. A non-coherent mixture of sand and clay, and silt and straw, used for making bricks or foundry molds.

sheaf

n. A package of several things tied together for carrying or storing; a tied bundle.

outrigger

n. A part built or arranged to project beyond a natural outline for support.

foie gras

n. A pate made from goose liver (marinated in Cognac) and truffles.

anemia

n. A pathological deficiency in the oxygen-carrying component of the blood, measured in unit volume concentrations of hemoglobin, red blood cell volume, or red blood cell number.

glockenspiel

n. A percussion instrument with a series of metal bars tuned to the chromatic scale and played with two light hammers. Synonyms: orchestral bells Usage: She was always capricious in her tastes, but even her close friends were surprised when she dismissed her piano teacher and took up the _.

compatriot

n. A person from your own country.

apologist

n. A person who defends, in speech or writing, a faith, doctrine, idea, or action (usually an unpopular one).

expatriate

n. A person who is voluntarily absent from home or country. v. 1. Expel from a country. 2. To leave one's country of residence for a new one.

martinet

n. A person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force. [from French, from the name of General Martinet, drillmaster under Louis XIV]

bailiwick

n. A person's specific area of interest, skill, or authority. See Synonyms at field. 2. The office or district of a bailiff. (sounds like baily-wick)

enfant terrible

n. A person, especially someone famous or successful, whose unconventional lifestyle, work, or behavior appears shocking.

firebrand

n. A piece of wood that has been burned or is burning.

nebbish

n. A pitifully timid or ineffectual person.

repertory

n. A place where things are stored or gathered together.

biennial

n. A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and fruit the second.

glasnost

n. A policy of political openness and transparency, from the Russian word for "publicity"

polity

n. A political group of any size or shape — it can be a government, a state, a country, or even a social group.

obstetrician

n. A practitioner of midwifery.

orison

n. A prayer.

lithograph

n. A print made by printing from stone or metal with a method where the printing areas are not raised but made ink-receptive while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent.

caucus

n. A private meeting of members of a political party to select candidates.

brass ring

n. A prize or an opportunity for a prize, especially a prestigious one.

pathos

n. A quality that arouses feelings of pity or sorrow, or the feeling so aroused. 2. An element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion. 2. An emotion of sympathetic pity.

atavism

n. A reappearance of an earlier characteristic

desperado

n. A reckless or desperate outlaw or person, esp. one ready to commit any violent illegal act.

eremite

n. A recluse or hermit, especially for religious reasons, often in the desert.

annals

n. A record of events in their chronological order, year by year.

hermitage

n. A residence or vacation home in a secluded place.

Bolshevik

n. A revolutionary or radical, from name of the majority Communist faction in Tsarist Russia, ultimately from the Russian word for "majority"

larder

n. A room or cupboard, used as a store for food. 2. a small storeroom for storing foods or wines. [from Old French lardier, from lard]

crag

n. A rugged, rocky projection on a cliff or ledge.

bylaw

n. A rule adopted by an organization in order to regulate its own affairs and the behavior of its members

viceroy

n. A ruler acting with royal authority in place of the sovereign in a colony or province.

fatwa

n. A ruling on a point of law given by an Islamic religious leader. 2. A severe denunciation.

salvo

n. A salute given by firing all the guns, as at the funeral of an officer.

epigone

n. A second-rate imitator or follower, especially of an artist or a philosopher.

collusion

n. A secret agreement for a deceitful purpose.

autodidact

n. A self-taught person. [From Greek autodidaktos, self-taught : auto-, auto- + didaktos, taught; see didactic.]

presentiment

n. A sense that something is about to occur; a premonition.

homily

n. A sermon on a moral or religious topic.

jezebel

n. A shameless, wicked, or immoral woman. After the wife of King Ahab in the old testament.

cudgel

n. A short heavy stick; a club

hobnail

n. A short nail with a thick head used to protect the soles of shoes or boots.

parable

n. A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.

Morton's Fork

n. A situation involving choice between two equally undesirable outcomes.

artisan

n. A skilled manual worker; a craftsperson.

raconteur

n. A skilled storyteller.

sylph

n. A slender, graceful young woman or girl.

slattern

n. A slovenly woman or girl; ****.

rivulet

n. A small brook or stream; a streamlet.

piccolo

n. A small flute.

hillock

n. A small hill or mound.

louse

n. A small insect parasitic on and sucking the blood of mammals.

islet

n. A small island.

iota

n. A small or insignificant mark or part.

peccadillo

n. A small sin or fault.

tundra

n. A treeless area between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, having a permanently frozen subsoil and supporting low-growing vegetation such as lichens, mosses, and stunted shrubs.

platitude

n. A trite or banal remark or statement.

cowlick

n. A tuft of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest of the hair and usually will not lie flat.

meme

n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. [Shortening (modeled on gene) of mimeme, from Greek mimma, something imitated, from mimeisthai, to imitate; see mimesis.]

rhetorical device

n. A use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)

vale

n. A valley, often coursed by a stream; a dale

dale

n. A valley.

satyr

n. A very lascivious person.

quay

n. A wharf or reinforced bank where ships are loaded or unloaded. [Middle English keye, from Old North French cai, of Celtic origin.]

alabaster

n. A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum.

gypsum

n. A widespread colorless, white, or yellowish mineral, CaSO4•2H2O, used in the manufacture of plaster of Paris, various plaster products, and fertilizers,cement, paint, chalk.

strumpet

n. A woman prostitute. [Middle English.]

belle

n. A woman who is a center of attraction because of her beauty, accomplishments, etc.

peignoir

n. A woman's loose-fitting dressing gown. (sounds like pain-wah)

pillory

n. A wooden framework on a post, with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were formerly locked to be exposed to public scorn as punishment. tr.v. 1. To expose to ridicule and abuse. 2. To put in a _ as punishment.

affidavit

n. A written declaration made under oath before a notary public or other authorized officer.

fawn

n. A young deer.

debutante

n. A young woman making a formal debut into society.

provost

n. Abbr. Prov. 1. A university administrator of high rank. 2. The highest official in certain cathedrals or collegiate churches. 3. The keeper of a prison. 4. The chief magistrate of certain Scottish cities.

poltroon

n. Abject or contemptible coward.

acuity

n. Acuteness of vision or perception; keenness.

spangle

n. Adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material used to decorate clothing.

agoraphobia

n. An abnormal fear of open or public places.

fool's errand

n. An absurd or futile undertaking.

stripling

n. An adolescent youth.

nihilist

n. An advocate of the doctrine that nothing either exists or can be known.

derrick

n. An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights.

Hobson's Choice

n. An apparently free choice that offers no real alternative: take it or leave it

lout

n. An awkward stupid person.

furlong

n. An eighth of a mile.

aria

n. An elaborate song for solo voice.

St. Elmo's Fire

n. An electrical discharge visible at the surface of a conductor, as a ship's mast or an airplane's wing. After a mispronounced saint who is regarded as the patron saint of sailors and an electrical discharge on the mast of a ship is believed to be a sign of his protection

dysphoria

n. An emotional state characterized by anxiety, depression, or unease.

factotum

n. An employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities.

legerdemain

n. An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers. 2. (Figuratively) some other kind of trickery or deceit.

iron curtain

n. An impenetrable barrier to communication, marked by censorship, secrecy, and isolation. Popularized in a speech by Winston Churchill in 1946 referring to the separation between the Soviet Bloc and the West. Earliest documented use: 1794.

scythe

n. An implement consisting of a long, curved single-edged blade with a long bent handle, used for mowing or reaping.

perquisite

n. An incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (esp. if it is regarded as a right. 2. A right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (esp. a hereditary or official right).

schlemiel

n. An inept, clumsy person: a habitual bungler.

misadventure

n. An instance of misfortune; a mishap.

sonata

n. An instrumental composition.

jibe

n. An insulting remark or "dis." v. 1. "be compatible with or similar to." 2 (Nautical) a particular manner of changing the course of a ship.

consul

n. An officer appointed to reside in a foreign city, chiefly to represent his country.

aide-de-camp

n. An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general.

functionary

n. An official.

pogrom

n. An organized, often officially encouraged massacre or persecution of a minority group, especially one conducted against Jews. (sounds like, puh-'grum, where grum rhymes with strum)

bullock

n. An ox.

madrigal

n. An unaccompanied (a capella) partsong for 2 or 3 voices; follows a strict poetic form

donnybrook

n. An uproar; a free-for-all. See brawl.

pedagogue

n. Another name for "teacher," (usually of children) but one who is strict, stiff or old-fashioned, as in a _ who stands in the front of the room and lectures for the entire class period, boring the students to tears.

consternation

n. Anxiety, dismay, panic.

brogue

n. Any dialectic pronunciation of English, especially that of the Irish people.

apostle

n. Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority.

striation

n. Any of a number of tiny parallel grooves such as: the scratches left by a glacier on rocks or the streaks or ridges in muscle tissue

alder

n. Any of various deciduous shrubs or trees of the genus Alnus, native chiefly to northern temperate regions and having alternate simple toothed leaves and tiny fruits in woody, conelike catkins. 2. The wood of these plants, used in carvings and for making furniture and cabinets.

egress

n. Any place of exit.

sinecure

n. Any position having emoluments with few or no duties. (sounds like sign-a-cure)

feint

n. Any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement.

monolith

n. Any structure or sculpture in stone formed of a single piece.

sluice

n. Anything that resembles a water slide with a gate — a narrow channel that controls water flow. The word originally comes from an old English word meaning a narrow channel that controlled a flow of water, usually to a watermill, and it still has that meaning. A _ can also mean a splash — often with cold water and usually done with some vigor. A rude, watery slap in the face. Torture victims in movies inevitably have their faces _d to bring them round for further questioning.

alkali

n. Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc.

misnomer

n. Application of a wrong name.

moiety

n. Archaic 1. a half 2. one of two parts or divisions of something. (sounds like 'hoity' in hoity-toity) [from Old French moitié, from Latin medietas middle, from medius].

mise en scene

n. Arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted.

cupidity

n. Avarice; covetousness.

persiflage

n. Banter.

wampum

n. Beads strung on threads, formerly used among the American Indians as currency.

effrontery

n. Brazen boldness; presumptiousness.

ado

n. Bustle; fuss; trouble; bother.

prudence

n. Caution. Exercising cautious judgement.

draper

n. Chiefly British A dealer in cloth or clothing and dry goods.

specie

n. Coined money; coin. Idiom: in _ 1. In coin. 2. In a similar manner; in kind: repaid the offense in _. 3. (Law) In the same kind or shape; as specified.

solipsism

n. Comes from the Latin words for alone (sol) and self (ipse), and means that only the self is real. In metaphysical _, your mind is the only thing that's real, and everything else is just a representation.

cockle

n. Common edible European bivalve mollusk. 2. The shell of a _ v. 3. (idiom) One's most innermost feelings. 1. Stir up (water) so as to form ripples. 2. To become or cause to become wrinkled or puckered.

mettle

n. Courage. Fortitude. Spirit.

exegesis

n. Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text, esp. The Bible.

doggerel

n. Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.

carrion

n. Dead and decaying flesh. adj. 1. Of or similar to dead and decaying flesh. 2. Feeding on such flesh.

subterfuge

n. Deceptive stratagem. Evasion.

syllogism

n. Deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises

enmity

n. Deep seated, often mutual hatred.

libel

n. Defamation in print.

apotheosis

n. Diefication. If your teacher says the term paper you handed in last week is a work of genius that sets a new gold standard for the school, he's telling you your work is the _ of term papers. The epitome. Perfection. Hidden in the middle of _ you'll find the Greek theos, meaning god. (Theology, the study of religion, has the same root.) Combine theos with apo "from" and you get a person, place, or thing that is so out-of-this-world amazing that it seems as if it's "from God." It's divine. You could make the assertion that Leonardo da Vinci was the _ of genius and that the Mona Lisa is the _ of all his paintings.

duplicity

n. Double-dealing.

scupper

n. Drain that allows water on the deck of a vessel to flow overboard Type of: drain, drainpipe, waste pipe. v. 1. put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position 2. wait in hiding to attack

crockery

n. Earthenware made from baked clay.

plaudit

n. Enthusiastic expression of praise or approval: a new play that opened to the _s of the critics.

malefactor

n. Evildoer; criminal.

impunity

n. Exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm.

largesse

n. Extreme generosity.

penury

n. Extreme want or poverty; destitution. (sounds like pen-your-ey)

bluster

n. False confidence and bravado. Can also mean a strong wind. On a _y day, you'll see trees blowing and people holding onto their hats. When someone full of _ is talking about how they can do something that you think they can't, they're blowing a lot of hot air in your direction. And coincidently, another name for that type of person is a blowhard.

misgiving

n. Feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, or doubt, esp. about a future event.

ewe

n. Female sheep.

truculence

n. Ferocity.

temerity

n. Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness.

brigadier

n. General officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel and a major-general.

bullion

n. Gold or silver bars in ingots.

vestment

n. Gown (especially ceremonial garments) worn by the clergy.

avidity

n. Greediness.

lethe

n. Greek Mythology The river of forgetfulness, one of the five rivers in Hades - the souls of the dead have to drink from it. 2. A condition of forgetfulness; oblivion.

Erebus

n. Greek myth 1. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) the god of darkness, son of Chaos and brother of Night 2. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) the darkness below the earth, thought to be the abode of the dead or the region they pass through on their way to Hades.

Aeschylus

n. Greek tragedian; the father of Greek tragic drama (525-456 BC)

avant garde

n. Group of artists whose work is based on the newest ideas and methods.

anthracite

n. Hard coal.

travail

n. Hard or agonizing labor. intr.v. To work strenuously; toil.

concord

n. Harmony; peaceful relations.

misogamy

n. Hatred of marriage.

misandry

n. Hatred of men.

hauteur

n. Haughtiness in bearing and attitude; arrogance. [French, from Old French, from haut, high; see haughty.] (sounds like 'haw-tear')

cachet

n. Having the respectability of certian high-end brands. People just know they are the finest of their kind. The word _ comes from the French _ meaning "seal affixed to a letter or document," and if something has _, it's as if it has a seal of approval from society. If you start a design company selling cachets for people to seal their letters with fancy wax, try getting some celebrities to endorse it. Then your _s will have cachet — and that's fancy.

brae

n. Hillside.

obloquy

n. If you are on the receiving end of _, then society has turned against you and you are in a state of disgrace.

babushka

n. In Russian, "old woman"; in English, a type of scarf commonly worn by _s.

Huguenot

n. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of _s came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. Above all, _s became known for their fiery criticisms of worship as performed in the Roman Catholic Church, in particular the focus on ritual and what seemed an obsession with death and the dead.

antilogy

n. Inconsistency or contradiction in terms or ideas.

coronet

n. Inferior crown denoting, according to its form, various degrees of noble rank less than sovereign.

gumption

n. Informal 1. Boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness. 2. Guts; spunk. 3. Common sense.

scad

n. Informal A large number or amount. Often used in the plural: Scads of people are in the hall.

shyster

n. Informal chiefly US a person, esp a lawyer or politician, who uses discreditable or unethical methods.

skulduggery

n. Informal underhand dealing; trickery.

denizen

n. Inhabitant.

respite

n. Interval of rest.

imam

n. Islam 1. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque. 2. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) a caliph, as leader of a Muslim community. 3. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) an honorific title applied to eminent doctors of Islam, such as the founders of the orthodox schools. 4. (Non-Christian Religions / Islam) any of a succession of either seven or twelve religious leaders of the Shiites, regarded by their followers as divinely inspired. [from Arabic: leader, from amma he guided]

chagrin

n. Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or errors.

lassitude

n. Lack of vitality or energy.

cetacean

n. Large aquatic carnivorous mammal with fin-like forelimbs no hind limbs, including: whales; dolphins; porpoises; narwhals. (sounds similar to 'citation')

trellis

n. Latticework used to support climbing plants. v. 1. Train on a trellis, as of a vine. 2. Cause to grow in a certain way by tying and pruning it.

abulia, aboulia

n. Loss or impairment of the ability to make decisions or act independently.

palatial

n. Magnificant.

rancor

n. Malevolent anger. Deep-seated ill will.

dint

n. Means; effort; Ex. by _ of hard work

revelry

n. Merrymaking.

malfeasance

n. Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

jabberwocky

n. Nonsensical speech or writing. [After "_," a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll.]

paramount

n. Of the greatest importance or significance; pre-eminent. n. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Rare A supreme ruler.

reprobate

n. One abandoned to depravity and sin.

faun

n. One of a class of deities of the woods and herds represented as half human, with goats feet.

steppe

n. One of the extensive plains in Russia and Siberia.

knight errant

n. One of the wandering knights who in the middle ages went forth in search of adventure.

homophone

n. One of two or more words, such as night and knight, that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling.

benefactor

n. One that does charitable acts or gives aid, esp. financial aid.

luthier

n. One that makes or repairs stringed instruments.

fishmonger

n. One that sells fish.

bellwether

n. One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends: "The degree to which the paper is censored is a political _" (Justine De Lacy). Literally: (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Breeds) a sheep that leads the herd, often bearing a bell

apostate

n. One who has abandoned one's faith or cause.

harbinger

n. One who or that which foreruns, foreshadows or announces the coming of any person or thing.

gulag

n. Originally an acronym for a Soviet-era system of forced-labor camps; it now can refer to any repressive or coercive environment or situation.

brooch

n. Ornamental clasp; pin.

syllabus

n. Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise.

palsy

n. Paralysis.

aphasia

n. Partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language, resulting from damage to the brain caused by injury or disease.

emolument

n. Payment for an office or employment; compensation. (sounds syllabically like e-monument)

orthopedic

n. Pertaining to the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments.

pulchritude

n. Physical beauty.

buccaneer

n. Pirate

reverie

n. Pleasant daydream. There's nothing wrong with _, but if you follow its path into English, you'll see how closely it is connected to madness. The noun is from French rêverie, from a Middle French word meaning "wild speech, delirium," from rever "to roam, speak wildly." Middle French rever is also the source of English rave, as in raving mad.

perigee

n. Point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth.

complaisance

n. Politeness; amiability; inclination to comply with others.

vox populi

n. Popular opinion or sentiment.

indigence.

n. Poverty; neediness.

efficacy

n. Power or capacity to produce a desired effect; effectiveness.

peppercorn

n. Pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant of East India; use whole or ground.

meta

n. Referring to a higher-order recursive abstraction.

sleight

n. Refers to being able to use your hands with ease, especially when doing a trick. Often used in the phrase "_ of hand." 2. Refering to cunning or cleverness, especially when used to trick or deceitfully. The word sleight with its meaning as being sneaky has a long history and comes from the Middle English word, sleghth, which also meant cunning. Back then people would have pronounced the "gh" even though today we don't.

compunction

n. Remorseful feeling; pangs of conscience.

reprise

n. Repeat an earlier theme of a composition

rectitude

n. Righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest.

alluvium

n. Sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a riverbed, flood plain, or delta. Also called _on. pl. alluviums or alluvia

aplomb

n. Self-confidence; poise.

idolatry

n. Self-worship.

susceptibility

n. Sensitivity. Capacity to be affected by deep emotions.

calumny

n. Slander.

stagflation

n. Sluggish economic growth coupled with a high rate of inflation and unemployment.

bigamy

n. The criminal offense of marrying one person while still legally married to another.

iconoclast

n. Somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions. 2. One who destroys sacred religious images, esp. those set up for religious veneration. 3. An adherent of the heretical movement within the Greek Orthodox Church from 725 to 842 ad, which aimed at the destruction of icons and religious images.

voluptuary

n. Someone devoted to sensory pleasure and luxury; a sybaritye.

oenophile

n. Someone who enjoys wine, especially as a connoisseur.

Pollyanna

n. Someone who is blindly optimistic about every situation, sometimes to the point of foolishness. The term is typically used in a negative way, to describe someone who cannot think about the more serious ramifications of various situations. Someone who behaves like a _ might be said to be _ish, which is why you might hear statements like "so-and-so can be so _ish about sales numbers.

libertine

n. Someone who lives life unencumbered by morals. Although it can be use neutrally, often if someone calls you _, they disapprove of your lack of morality.

interlocutor

n. Someone who participates in a discussion or conversation, sometimes as a go-between. If you and your friend are in an argument and aren't speaking, a third friend could act as an _, delivering messages back and forth. _ traces back to the Latin word interloqui, meaning "to speak between." We use _ either for "a conversation partner," or for "a third party in a conversation," like a middleman who speaks on behalf of an organization. It's also an old term for the guy in a minstrel show who questions all the other performers as a way of moving the act forward. "What's that you say? A funky dance? Go on and show us then." - from vocabulary.com.

nihilist

n. Someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief.

marauder

n. Someone who roams around looking for things to steal. You might hear news reports about a _ breaking into cars in your neighborhood.

fait accompli

n. Something already done and beyond alteration.

prescript

n. Something prescribed as a rule or model of conduct

schlock

n. Something, such as merchandise or literature, that is inferior or shoddy. adj. Of inferior quality; cheap or shoddy.

acedia

n. Spiritual torpor and apathy; ennui. (personified as one of the deadly sins). (sounds like a-media)

fiasco

n. Sudden and violent collapse

ascendancy

n. Superiority or decisive advantage; domination.

cession

n. Surrender, as of possessions or rights.

deposition

n. Testimony legally taken & converted to writing for use in court.

Perestroika

n. The Soviet-era system of reform, from the Russian word for "restructuring"

savoir-faire

n. The ability to do the right / graceful thing in any situation. (sounds like have whua-aire) [French, literally: a knowing how to do]

acetic acid

n. The acid in vinegar.

flection

n. The act of bending.

apposition

n. The act of placing side by side, together, or in contact.

rapine

n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war.

suasion

n. The act of urging: per_. (Often used in the phrase 'moral _')

euphemism

n. The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive: "_s such as 'slumber room' . . . abound in the funeral business" (Jessica Mitford).

insurrection

n. The act or an instance of rebelling against a government in power or the civil authorities; insurgency.

ministration

n. The act or instance of serving or giving aid.

vivisection

n. The act or practice of cutting into or otherwise injuring living animals, especially for the purpose of scientific research.

coiffure

n. The arrangement of hair, esp. a woman's hair.

anthropomorphism

n. The attribution of human form or behaviour to a deity, animal, etc.

deism

n. The belief, based solely on reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation.

ornithology

n. The branch of biology that deals with the study of birds.

paleontology

n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms.

ontology

n. The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being.

herpetology

n. The branch of zoology that deals with reptiles and amphibians.

centurion

n. The captain of a company of 100 from the ancient Roman army.

etiology

n. The cause or origin of a disease, condition, or constellation of symptoms or signs, as determined by medical diagnosis or research.

nave

n. The central part of a church, extending from the narthex to the chancel and flanked by aisles. [Medieval Latin nvis, from Latin, ship (from its shape); see nu- in Indo-European roots.]

Seder

n. The ceremonial night on the first night (or both nights) of Passover.

azure

n. The color of the sky.

malapropism

n. The comic misuse of a word.

predestination

n. The concept of destiny or fate.

dyne

n. The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for 1 second, would give it a velocity of 1 cm/s.

bridle

n. The head-harness of a horse consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and the reins.

Zeitgeist

n. The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or epoch.

whit

n. The least bit; an iota: doesn't give a _ what was said; not a _ afraid.

nadir

n. The lowest point.

Occam'srazor

n. The maxim that the simplest of explanations is more likely to be correct than any other.

garrison

n. The military force stationed in a fort, town, or other place for its defense.

appellation

n. The name or title by which a particular person, class, or thing is called.

aerie

n. The nest of an eagle, hawk, falcon, or other bird of prey. Often built on a cliff or other high place. 2. A house or stronghold perched on a height.

denouement

n. The part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up; resolution; end result.

corolla

n. The petals of a flower as a group.

determinism

n. The philosophical doctrine that every state of affairs, including every human event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs.

consulate

n. The place in which a consul transacts official business.

brinkmanship

n. The practice, especially in international politics, of seeking advantage by creating the impression that one is willing and able to push a highly dangerous situation to the limit rather than concede.

effervescence

n. The process of bubbling as gas escapes.

mongrel

n. The progeny resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties.

dowry

n. The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage.

palate

n. The roof of the mouth.

telemetry

n. The science and technology of automatic measurement and transmission of data by wire, radio, or other means from remote sources, as from space vehicles, to receiving stations for recording and analysis.

abscission

n. The separation of a leaf, flower, or fruit from a plant as a result of natural structural and chemical changes. The _ zone is a layer of weak, thin-walled cells that form across the base of the plant part where the break eventually occurs. A corky layer containing suberin forms beneath the _ zone to protect the plant.

dipthong

n. The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable or running together the sounds.

opprobrium

n. The state of being scronfully reproached or accused of evil.

disapprobation

n. The state of total disapproval and condemnation. It is often used in conjunction with a moral or social offense

rheology

n. The study of the deformation and flow of matter.

abbot

n. The superior of an abby of monks in a monestary.

liminal

n. The threshold of a physiological or psychological response.

massacre

n. The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings.

monomania

n. The unreasonable pursuit of or passion for one idea.

circumlocution

n. The use of evasive, indirect, roundabout language. 2. The overuse of language to explain something.

chicanery

n. The use of trickery to deceive.

firmament

n. The vault or expanse of the heavens; the sky.

papyrus

n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans.

motif

n. Theme; recurrent thematic element in a musical or literary work; single or repeated pattern; figure.

Bread and Circuses

n. Things intended to keep people happy and to divert their attention from problems.

remediate

n. To set straight or right; correct.

perfidy

n. Treachery. Deliberate breach of faith.

lagniappe

n. US 1. a small gift, esp one given to a customer who makes a purchase. 2. something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus. [Louisiana French, from American Spanish la ñapa, from Quechua yápa addition]

vig

n. US slang the interest on a loan that is paid to a moneylender.

skiff

n. Usually, a small light boat propelled by oars.

braggadocio

n. Vain and empty or exaggerated boasting.

invective

n. Vehement accusation or denuciation, especially of a bitterly abusive or sarcastic kind.

tautology

n. pl. 1.a. Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy. b. An instance of such repetition. 2. Logic An empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, the statement "Either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow."

inamorata

n. pl. A woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship.

sallow

n. unhealthy in appearance--often yellow in color--and is almost invariably used to describe someone's complexion.

probity

n. Virtue or intergrity tested and confirmed. Are there systems in place to ensure financial probity? All these initiative are having a major effect on the way directors view business probity. Are there systems in place to ensure financial probity? Probity issues. Probity in the conduct of our business. Are our officers ' negotiations with operators about concessions well documented and sufficiently transparent for us to demonstrate probity? The only resource the tibetan government has is its image of moral probity which is indivisible from the perception of the dalai lama. Probity checks or the main database. Probity in the management of council affairs, the standards board needs radical reform. Question 1: are these criteria sufficient to guarantee the probity of those who wish to work within the high court enforcement industry? For hofland, commercial probity and religious piety are united, not separate, virtues. Probity requirements were particularly acute. The operators of the cameras will operate with the utmost probity at all times. Fiscal probity is nonexistent when the budget deficit hovers in the double-digits. Mr brown, whose credentials as heir apparent rest on his reputation for economic competence and personal probity, would find it much harder.

weal

n. Well-being.

veritable

n. _ comes from the Latin veritas which means true. But unlike true, it does not describe things like statements. It is often used to enhance the word that follows it. "A _ cornucopia of food" is a lot of food of different varieties.

vigorish

n. _, or simply the _(-5), also known as juice or the take, is the amount charged by a bookmaker, or bookie, for his services. In the United States it also means the interest on a shark's loan. The term is Yiddish slang originating from the Russian word for winnings, ??????? vyigrysh.

viaduct

n. a bridge, esp for carrying a road or railway across a valley, etc., consisting of a set of arches supported by a row of piers or towers. [from Latin via way + ducere to bring, on the model of aqueduct]

predilection

n. a predisposition, preference, or bias.

skinflint

n. a selfish miserly person who will not give or spend.

catcall

n. a shrill whistle or cry expressing disapproval, as at a public meeting, etc.

frisson

n. a shudder or shiver; thrill (French)

sojourn

n. a temporary stay vb. (intr) to stay or reside temporarily [from Old French sojorner, from Vulgar Latin subdiurnare (unattested) to spend a day, from Latin sub- during + Late Latin diurnum day]

selenium

n. a toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium; occurs in several allotropic forms; a stable grey metallike allotrope conducts electricity better in the light than in the dark and is used in photocells; occurs in sulfide ores (as pyrite).

eulogy

n. a written or spoken passage conveying approval, praise, and laudation, often of someone who has just died.

fandango

n. a. An animated Spanish or Spanish-American dance in triple time. b. A piece of music for this dance. 2. Informal Nonsense; tomfoolery.

maize

n. a. a tall annual grass, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike b. the grain of this plant, used for food, fodder, and as a source of oil. Usual US and Canadian name corn. See also sweet corn 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours) a light yellow to moderate orange-yellow color.

ED

n. abbreviation for 1. (Philosophy / Logic) (Mathematics) quod erat demonstrandum [Latin: which was to be shown or proved] 2. (Physics / Atomic Physics) quantum electrodynamics

plenitude

n. an abundance; a fulll supply.

acclivity

n. an upward slope or grade (as in a road)

equanimity

n. calmness of mind or temper; composure [from Latin aequanimitas, from aequus even, equal + animus mind, spirit]

raiment

n. especially fine or decorative clothing. v. put on clothes.

palisade

n. fortification consisting of a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground Type of: fortification, munition defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it. v. Surround with a wall in order to fortify

Pelican Case

n. grey reinforced shell case used for transporting electronics and other hardware. (_s have gery or brown plumage).

lechery

n. gross lewdness; lustfulness;

bouillabaisse

n. highly seasoned Mediterranean soup or stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish with tomatoes and onions or leeks and seasoned with saffron and garlic and herbs. (sounds like bool-ya-base)

pate

n. liver or meat or fowl finely minced or ground and variously seasoned.

lode

n. metal-bearing vein(long deposit of an ore)

pantywaist

n. noun: A weak or effeminate man. adj. Weak; cowardly; effeminate.

nicety

n. pl -ties 1. a subtle point of delicacy or distinction a _ of etiquette 2. (usually plural) a refinement or delicacy the _s of first-class travel 3. subtlety, delicacy, or precision 4. excessive refinement; fastidiousness to a _with precision

Bacchanalia

n. pl. (with upper-case 1st letter) 1. The ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus. 2. (with lower-case 1st letter) A riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel. (sounds like back-a-nail-ya)

contretemps

n. pl. 1. A minor short-term fight. 2. An awkward mishap. 3. An unforeseen event that disrupts the normal course of things; an inopportune occurrence. [French : contre-, against (from Latin contr-; see contra-) + temps, time (from Latin tempus).

realpolitic

n. politics based on practical considerations of power rather than moral or ideological considerations. A usually expansionist national policy having as its sole principle advancement of the national interest.

adjutant

n.1. A staff officer who helps a commanding officer (often military) with administrative affairs. 2. An assistant.

regalia

n.pl. The emblems of royalty.

hackles

pl n. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the hairs on the back of the neck and the back of a dog, cat, etc., which rise when the animal is angry or afraid 2. anger or resentment (esp in the phrases get one's hackles up, make one's hackles rise)

alms

pl n. charitable donations of money or goods to the poor or needy. [Old English ælmysse, from Late Latin eleemosyna, from Greek eleemosune pity; see eleemosynary]

vis a vis

prep 1. in relation to; regarding 2. face to face with; opposite adv & adj face to face; opposite 1. a person or thing that is situated opposite to another 2. a person who corresponds to another in office, capacity, etc.; counterpart 3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Furniture) an upholstered sofa; tête-à-tête 4. a type of horse-drawn carriage in which the passengers sit opposite one another 5. a coin having an obverse upon which two portraits appear facing each other.

begrudge

r.v. 1. To envy the possession or enjoyment of: She _d him his youth. See Synonyms at envy. 2. To give or expend with reluctance: _d every penny spent.

expurgate

tr.v. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) (tr) to amend (a book, text, etc.) by removing (obscene or offensive sections) [from Latin expurgare to clean out, from purgare to purify; see purge].

contravene

tr.v. 1. To act or be counter to; violate: _ a direct order. 2. To oppose in argument; gainsay: _ the proposal. See Synonyms at deny.

anoint

tr.v. 1. To apply oil, ointment, or a similar substance to. 2. To put oil on during a religious ceremony as a sign of sanctification or consecration. 3. To choose by or as if by divine intervention. [Middle English enointen, from Old French enoint, past participle of enoindre, from Latin inunguere, in nct- : in-, on; see in-2 + unguere, to smear.]

relegate

tr.v. 1. To assign to an obscure place, position, or condition. 2. To assign to a particular class or category; classify. See Synonyms at commit. 3. To refer or assign (a matter or task, for example) for decision or action. 4. To send to a place of exile; banish.

subjugate

tr.v. 1. To bring under control; conquer. See Synonyms at defeat. 2. To make subservient; enslave.

variegate

tr.v. 1. To change the appearance of, especially by marking with different colors; streak. 2. To give variety to; make varied.

adjure

tr.v. 1. To command or enjoin solemnly, as under oath: "_ing her in the name of God to declare the truth" (Increase Mather). 2. To appeal to or entreat earnestly. adjure - The verb _ is a heavy-duty synonym of the word "ask," with more of a demanding tone. For example, you might have to _ someone to tell the truth. From www.vocabulary.com/definition/

decry

tr.v. 1. To condemn openly. 2. To depreciate (currency, for example) by official proclamation or by rumor.

gainsay

tr.v. 1. To declare false; deny. 2. To oppose, especially by contradiction. 3. Take exception to.

execrate

tr.v. 1. To declare to be hateful or abhorrent; denounce. 2. To feel loathing for; abhor. 3. Archaic To invoke a curse on.

proscribe

tr.v. 1. To denounce or condemn. 2. To prohibit; forbid. See Synonyms at forbid. 3. a. To banish or outlaw (a person). b. To publish the name of (a person) as outlawed.

circumvent

tr.v. 1. To evade or go around 2. to outwit 3. (Military) to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture. tr.v. 1. to evade or go around 2. to outwit 3.(Military) to encircle (an enemy) so as to intercept or capture.

collate

tr.v. 1. To examine and compare carefully in order to note points of disagreement. 2. To assemble in proper numerical or logical sequence. 3. Printing a. To examine (gathered sheets) in order to arrange them in proper sequence before binding. b. To verify the order and completeness of (the pages of a volume). 4. Ecclesiastical To admit (a cleric) to a benefice.

reproach

tr.v. 1. To express disapproval of, criticism of, or disappointment in (someone). 2. To bring shame upon; disgrace. n. 1. Blame; rebuke. 2. One that causes rebuke or blame. 3. Disgrace; shame.

prognosticate

tr.v. 1. To foretell (future events) according to present signs or indications; prophesy. 2. (tr) to foreshadow or portend. [from Medieval Latin prognosticare to predict]

disabuse

tr.v. 1. To free from a falsehood or misconception: I must _ you of your feelings of grandeur. 2. to persuade somebody that his/her belief is not valid.

belie

tr.v. 1. To give a false representation to; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to _ his air of gentility" (James Joyce). 2. To show to be false; contradict: Their laughter _ their outward grief. Note: in each case , note how the outward appearance does not match up with the reality. That contradiction is the essence of _.

affront

tr.v. 1. To insult intentionally, especially openly. See Synonyms at offend. 2. a. To meet defiantly; confront. b. Obsolete To meet or encounter face to face. n. 1. An open or intentional offense, slight, or insult: Such behavior is an _ to society. 2. Obsolete A hostile encounter or meeting. [Middle English afrounten, from Old French afronter : Latin ad-, ad- + Latin frns, front-, face; see front.]

bate

tr.v. 1. To lessen the force or intensity of; moderate: "To his dying day he _d his breath a little when he told the story" (George Eliot). 2. To take away; subtract.

cull

tr.v. 1. To pick out from others; select. 2. To gather; collect. 3. To remove rejected members or parts from (a herd, for example). n. Something picked out from others, especially something rejected because of inferior quality.

reprieve

tr.v. 1. To postpone or cancel the punishment of. 2. To bring relief to. n. 1. a. Postponement or cancellation of a punishment. b. A warrant for such an action. 2. Temporary relief, as from danger or pain.

decant

tr.v. 1. To pour off (wine, for example) without disturbing the sediment. 2. To pour (a liquid) from one container into another.

interdict

tr.v. 1. To prohibit or place under an ecclesiastical or legal sanction. 2. To forbid or debar, especially authoritatively. See Synonyms at forbid. 3. a. To cut or destroy (a line of communication) by firepower so as to halt an enemy's advance. b. To confront and halt the activities, advance, or entry of: the role of the FBI in _ing spies attempting to pass US secrets to the Soviet Union" (Christian Science Monitor). n. (ntr-dkt) 1. Law A prohibition by court order. 2. Roman Catholic Church An ecclesiastical censure that excludes a person or district from participation in most sacraments and from Christian burial. [Alteration of Middle English enterditen, to place under a church ban, from Old French entredit, past participle of entredire, to forbid, from Latin interdcere, interdict- : inter-, inter- + dcere, to say; see deik- in Indo-European roots.] (dict sounds as in dictionary)

indemnify

tr.v. 1. To protect against damage, loss, or injury; insure. 2. To make compensation to for damage, loss, or injury suffered.

vitiate

tr.v. 1. To reduce the value or impair the quality of. 2. To corrupt morally; debase. 3. To make ineffective; invalidate. (sounds like"vishiate")

remand

tr.v. 1. To send or order back. 2. Law a. To send back to custody. b. To send back (a case) to a lower court with instructions about further proceedings.

arrogate

tr.v. 1. To take or claim for oneself without right; appropriate: Presidents who have _d the power of Congress to declare war. 2. To ascribe on behalf of another in an unwarranted manner.

supplant

tr.v. 1. To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics. 2. To displace and substitute for (another): The word processor has largely _ed electric typewriters.

discountenance

tr.v. 1. To view or treat with disfavor. 2. To put out of countenance; disconcert. n. Disfavor or disapproval.

disquiet

tr.v. To deprive of peace or rest; trouble. n. Absence of peace or rest; anxiety. adj. Archaic Uneasy; restless.

disenchant

tr.v. To free from illusion or false belief; undeceive.

vilify

tr.v. To make vicious and defamatory statements about. Synonyms: malign. [Middle English vilifien, from Late Latin vlificre, to hold cheap : Latin vlis, cheap; see wes-3 in Indo-European roots + Latin -ficre, -fy.]

upbraid

tr.v. To reprove sharply; reproach.

maculate

tr.v. To spot, blemish, or pollute. adj. 1. Spotted or blotched. 2. Stained; impure. (sounds like mac-you-late)

stanch

tr.v. To stop the flowing of (usually blood or tears); check.

wean

tr.v. To transfer(the young) from dependence on mother's milk to another form of nourishment.

henpeck

v(tr) (of a woman) to harass or torment (a man, esp her husband) by persistent nagging.

expound

v. (when intr, foll by on or about) to explain or set forth (an argument, theory, etc.) in detail to _ on one's theories; he _ed his reasoning

quash

v. 1 Declare invalid. 2. Put down by force or intimidation.

prate

v. speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle. n. idle or foolish and irrelevant talk

remit

v. 1. (Business / Commerce) (also intr) to send (money, payment, etc.), as for goods or service, esp by post 2. (Law) (esp of an appeal court) to send back (a case or proceeding) to an inferior court for further consideration or action 3. (Law) to cancel or refrain from exacting (a penalty or punishment) 4. (also intr) to relax (pace, intensity, etc.) or (of pace or the like) to slacken or abate 5. to postpone; defer 6. Archaic to pardon or forgive (crime, sins, etc.)

ordain

v. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) to consecrate (someone) as a priest; confer holy orders upon 2. to enact or establish by law, edict, etc. 3.to decree; give orders for. 4. (of God, fate, etc.) to destine or predestine.

fructify

v. 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) to bear or cause to bear fruit 2. to make or become productive or fruitful

keelhaul

v. 1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) to drag (a person) by a rope from one side of a vessel to the other through the water under the keel. 2. to rebuke harshly

beset

v. 1. (esp of dangers, temptations, or difficulties) to trouble or harass constantly 2. to surround or attack from all sides 3. (Archaic) to cover with, esp with jewels.

devolve

v. 1. (foll by on, upon, to, etc.) to pass or cause to pass to a successor or substitute, as duties, power, etc. 2. (Law) (intr; foll by on or upon) (of an estate, etc.) to pass to another by operation of law, esp on intestacy or bankruptcy 3. (intr; foll by on or upon) to depend (on); your argument _s on how you interpret this clause.

titillate

v. 1. Excite pleasurably or erotically; "A _(-1)ing story appeared in the usually conservative magazine" 2. Touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

engender

v. 1. Give rise to; bring into existence. 2. Bring or come into being.

eke

v. 1. Manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty: "they _d out their livelihoods from the soil" 2. Make an amount or supply of something last longer by using or consuming it frugally: "the remains of yesterday's stew could be _d out to make another meal". 3. obtain or create, but just barely: "Tennessee _d out a 74-73 overtime victory"

despoil

v. 1. Steal goods; take as spoils. 2. Destroy and strip of its possession.

pique

v. 1. To arouse resentment or indignation. 2. To provoke; arouse.

supplicate

v. 1. To beg. 2. To entreat humbly.

confer

v. 1. To bestow (an honor, for example): _ed a medal on the hero; _red an honorary degree on her. 2. To invest with (a characteristic, for example): a carefully worded statement that _red an aura of credibility. v.intr. To conference or consult.

bemuse

v. 1. To bewilder, confuse. 2. To cause to be lost in thought.

assuage

v. 1. To cause to be less harsh or severe. 2. To satisfy or appease. 3. To pacify or calm.

transfigure

v. 1. To change or cause to change in appearance. 2. To become or cause to become more exalted.

dissemble

v. 1. To conceal (one's real motives, emotions, etc.) by pretence. 2. Make believe with the intent to deceive 3. Hide under a false appearance: He _d happiness at the news his ex was getting married; _ innocence; The politician tended to _ rather than to answer questions truthfully.

stupefy

v. 1. To dull the senses. 2. Astound.

carouse

v. 1. To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking. 2. To drink excessively.

shanghai

v. 1. To enroll or obtain (a sailor) for the crew of a ship by unscrupulous means such as force, or liquor or drugs. b. To put by force or threat of force into or as if into a place of detention. 2. To put by trickery into an undesirable position.

deprecate

v. 1. To express disapproval or regret for. 2. To belittle.

lambaste

v. 1. To give a thrashing to; beat. See Synonyms at beat. 2. To scold sharply; berate.

fulminate

v. 1. To issue a thunderous attack or detonation. 2. To explode with noise and violence.

billet

v. 1. To lodge or to be quartered. n. 2. A civilian place (as a private home) where soldiers are lodged temporarily. 3. An official order directing someone to provide lodging for soldiers. 4. A short letter or a note. 5. A job appointment. 6. A chunk of wood, suitable for fuel. 7. A metal bar or ingot.

palliate

v. 1. To make (an offense or crime) seem less serious; extenuate. 2. To make less severe or intense; mitigate: tried unsuccessfully to _ the widespread discontent. 3. To relieve the symptoms of a disease or disorder.

meliorate

v. 1. To make better, improve. 2. To grow better.

aggrandize

v. 1. To make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation. 2. To cause to seem greater; exaggerate.

evince

v. 1. To make manifest or evident. 2. To show or indicate.

presage

v. 1. To portend. 2. To fortell.

abjure

v. 1. To recant solemnly; renouce or repudiate. 2. To renounce under oath; forswear. 3. To formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure.

allay

v. 1. To relieve. 2. To passify or set to rest.

adumbrate

v. 1. To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. 2. To foreshadow. 2. To overshadow or obscure.

efface

v. 1. To rub or wipe out; erase. 2. To make indistinct as if by rubbing: "Five years' absence had done nothing to efface the people's memory of his firmness" (Alan Moorehead). 3. To conduct (oneself) inconspicuously: "When the two women went out together, Anna deliberately _ed herself and played to the dramatic Molly" (Doris Lessing)

expatiate

v. 1. To speak or write at length. 2. To clarify or expand upon. 3. (archaic)To wander freely. The verb _ means "to add details to in order to clear up." If your story is confusing to everyone who hears it, certain key parts must be missing. Better expatiate so that people can understand it. From vocabulary.com.

bowl over

v. 1. To take by surprise. 2. To make a powerful impression on; overwhelm.

doff

v. 1. To take off; remove: _ one's clothes. 2. To tip or remove (one's hat) in salutation. 3. To put aside; discard.

forfend

v. 1. To ward off. 2. To defend or protect.

disallow

v. 1. To withhold permission or sanction. 2. to reject as untrue or invalid 3. to cancel.

enjoin

v. 1. give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority. 2. strongly suggest. 3. issue an injunction.

accost

v. 1. to approach or confront aggressively as with a demand. 2. To solicit for sex.

amalgamate

v. 1. to bring or combine together or with something else.

dissimilate

v. 1. to make or become dissimilar 2. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) (usually foll by to) Phonetics to change or displace (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed to or displaced by (another consonant) so that its manner of articulation becomes less similar to a speech sound in the same word. Thus (r) in the final syllable of French marbre is _d to (l) in its English form marble

wheedle

v. 1. to persuade or try to persuade (someone) by coaxing words, flattery, etc. 2. (tr) to obtain by coaxing and flattery: she _d some money out of her father.

buffet

v. 1. v. to strike against forcefully and/or repeatedly; batter: winds that _ed the tent. 3. To drive or force this way: was _ed about from job to job by the vagaries of the economy. 4. To force (one's way) with difficulty. [Middle English, from Old French buffet, diminutive of buffe, blow.]

ablate

v. 1.a. Wear away through erosion, vaporization, melting, etc. 1.b. Deteriorate through use or stress. 2. Remove an organ or bodily structure.

mete

v. Apportion.

fathom

v. As a unit of measurement, six feet. Also means to understand.

defray

v. Bear the expenses of.

congeal

v. Become gelatinous

chasten

v. Censure severly.

sublimate

v. Change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting

arraign

v. Charge in court; indict.

clamber

v. Climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble. n. A difficult, awkward climb.

gild

v. Cover with a thin layer of gold.

bandy

v. Discuss lightly; kick around.

reconnoiter

v. Explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody, or inspecting.

kvetch

v. Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness.

countermand

v. Issue an opposing command.

immure

v. Lock or confine, as in a jail. You may recognize the -mur- in _ as the root for "wall," as in mural, which is a painting on a wall, or intramural, literally "inside the walls," as, for instance, the walls of a school — intramural sports are played among teams from the same school. You don't need a jail to _ someone. Rapunzel was _ in her tower. At the end of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the lovers are _ in the tomb.

ingratiate

v. Make obvious efforts to gain someone's favor, in other words — to kiss up to someone.

filch

v. Pilfer.

careen

v. Pitch dangerously to one side

purvey

v. Supply with provisions.

aver

v. To affirm positively; assert.

abet

v. To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense).

propitiate

v. To appease someone or make them happy by doing a particular thing. Handy strategy for lovers, too. One of the most common uses of _ historically was in the sense of appeasing the Gods, often with a gift in the form of an animal or human sacrifice. Fortunately, for most people today flowers and candy will do the trick. But then again, some Moms can be tough to appease.

impute

v. To attribute the fault or responsibility of.

wizen

v. To become or cause to become withered or dry.

importune

v. To beset with insistent or repeated requests; entreat pressingly.

surcease

v. To bring or come to an end; stop. n. Cessation.

inhume

v. To bury; inter.

convoke

v. To call together.

molt

v. To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc.

conflate

v. To combine or blend (two things, especially two versions of a text) so as to form a whole.

hail

v. To come from.

ossify

v. To convert into bone.

countervail

v. To counteract; offset.

obfuscate

v. To darken; obsure.

avow

v. To declare openly.

intercede

v. to act or interpose in behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble, as by pleading or petition. 2. To mediate.

evoke

v. to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.). 2. to elicit or draw forth. 3. to call up; cause to appear; summon: 4. to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality.

tarry

v.(intr) 1. to delay in coming or going; linger 2. to remain temporarily or briefly 3. to wait or stay 4. (tr) Archaic or poetic to await

effuse

v.b. 1. To pour or flow out. 2. To spread out; diffuse. 3. (intr) To talk profusely, esp in an excited manner. 4. (Physics / General Physics) To cause (a gas) to flow or (of a gas) to flow under pressure. adj. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) Botany (esp of an inflorescence) Spreading out loosely.

accede

v.intr. (usually foll by to) 1. to assent or give one's consent; agree 2. to enter upon or attain (to an office, right, etc.): the prince _d to the throne 3. (Law, International Law) to become a party (to an agreement between nations, etc.), as by signing a treaty. If you _, it means you agree with someone or give in to his or her wish. The word is often used in a political context — the Queen _d to the Prince's demands for more territory, a larger army, and funnier jesters. _ can also be used for everyday situations. If you _ to your mother's request that you come home before ten, it means you'll be missing that midnight movie with your friends. _ comes from the Latin accedere, meaning to "approach or enter upon." It differs slightly from concede, which also means consent, but a more reluctant kind. If you were to concede to your mom's 10 PM curfew rather than accede to it, you'd be doing so against your will. From www.vocabulary.com.

purl

v.intr. 1. To flow or ripple with a murming sound. 2. To flow with a curling movement. n. 1. The sound made by rippling water. 2. A curling movement of water; an eddy.

proselytize

v.intr. 1. To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith. 2. To induce someone to join one's own political party or to espouse one's doctrine.v.tr. To convert (a person) from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another.

lower

v.intr. 1. To look angry, sullen, or threatening. 2. To appear dark or threatening, as the sky. n. 1. A threatening, sullen, or angry look. 2. A dark and ominous look.

sidle

v.intr. 1. To move sideways: _d through the narrow doorway. 2. To advance in an unobtrusive, furtive, or coy way: swindlers who _ up to tourists. v.tr. To cause to move sideways: We _d the canoe to the riverbank.

loll

v.intr. 1. To move, stand, or recline in an indolent or relaxed manner. 2. To hang or droop laxly: a pennant _ing from the mast. v.tr. To permit to hang or droop laxly: _ed his head on the armrest. n. Archaic An act or attitude of _ing. Something that one absolutely and positively cannot stand is anathema. Garlic is anathema to vampires (ditto for stakes and daylight). So is kryptonite to Superman or a silver bullet to a werewolf. Originally the term anathema comes from the Catholic practice of denouncing a particular individual or idea that was antithetical to the Catholic Church. If done to a person, it excommunicated them, meaning they could no longer partake in the church's sacraments (with presumably pretty poor consequences for the soul.) That's a lot worse than kryptonite. From www.vocabulary.com.

balk

v.intr. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse _ed at the jump. 2. To refuse obstinately or abruptly: She _ed at the very idea of compromise.

retch

v.intr. 1. To try to vomit. 2. v.tr. To vomit.

totter

v.intr. 1. a. To sway as if about to fall. b. To appear about to collapse: an empire that had begun to totter. 2. To walk unsteadily or feebly; stagger.

repine

v.intr. To be discontent and indulge in fretfulness. To yearn after something.

recrudesce

v.intr. To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of quiescence.

prevaricate

v.intr. To evade the truth; equivocate.

cavil

v.intr. To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. Synonyms: quibble. v.tr. To quibble about; detect petty flaws in. n. A carping or trivial objection. (sounds like ravel)

peregrinate

v.intr. To journey or travel from place to place, especially on foot. v.tr. To travel through or over; traverse.

abscond

v.intr. To leave quickly and hide oneself to avoid prosecution, arrest, or punishment.

recant

v.intr. To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained). To make a formal retraction.

forbear

v.t. 1. To refrain from; resist. 2. To desist from; cease. v.intr. 1. To hold back; refrain. 2. To be tolerant or patient in the face of provocation. Some _it, not upon negligence alone, but doubting to bring themselves into melancholy, in respect they shall find it broken.

forswear

v.t. 1. To renounce upon oath. 2. To disavow under oath; deny. It was made a great favour of; and altogether it was more than I could bear; and so I never would finish it, to have it apologised over as an unfavourable likeness, to every morning visitor in Brunswick Square;and, as I said, I did then _ ever drawing any body again. Emma by Austen, Jane

countenance

v.t. 1. To support or encourage; sanction. 2. To tolerate; endure.

accouter, accoutre

v.tr (Military) (usually passive) to provide with equipment or dress, esp military.

browbeat

v.tr to discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate

cogitate

v.tr&intr. Ponder.

entreat

v.tr&intr. To ask for or request earnestly.

conjoin

v.tr&intr. To become joined.

subtend

v.tr. 1. (Mathematics) To be opposite to and delimit: The side of a triangle _s the opposite angle. 2. To underlie so as to enclose or surround: flowers _ed by leafy bracts.

barnstorm

v.tr. 1. (Performing Arts / Theatre) to tour rural districts putting on shows, esp theatrical, athletic, or acrobatic shows 2. (Literature / Rhetoric) (Chiefly US and Canadian) to tour rural districts making speeches in a political campaign.

endue

v.tr. 1. (usually foll by with) to invest or provide, as with some quality or trait. 2. Rare (foll by with) to clothe or dress (in)

posit

v.tr. 1. To assume or put forward as fact or the factual basis for an argument; postulate. 2. To put in position.

adjoin

v.tr. 1. To be next to; be contiguous to: property that _s ours. 2. To attach: "I do _ a copy of the letter that I have received" (John Fowles). v.intr. To be contiguous.

retrench

v.tr. 1. To cut down; reduce. 2. To remove, delete, omit, or abridge. v.intr. To curtail expenses; economize. 3. (Military) To protect by a _ment.

educe

v.tr. 1. To draw out; elicit. 2. To construe; deduce.

replenish

v.tr. 1. To fill again. 2. To inspire or nourish.

adjudicate

v.tr. 1. To hear and settle (a case) by judicial procedure. 2. To study and settle (a dispute or conflict): The principal _ our quarrel. v.intr. To act as a judge.

obtrude

v.tr. 1. To impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others with undue insistence or without invitation. 2. To thrust out; push forward. v.intr. To impose oneself on others.

levy

v.tr. 1. To impose or collect by force or threat of force (a tax, for example). 2. To draft into military service. 3. To declare and wage (a war). v.intr. To confiscate property, especially in accordance with a legal judgment.

immolate

v.tr. 1. To kill as a sacrifice. 2. To kill (oneself) by fire. 3. To destroy.

macerate

v.tr. 1. To make soft by soaking or steeping in a liquid. 2. To separate into constituents by soaking. 3. To cause to become lean, usually by starvation; emaciate.

muddle

v.tr. 1. To make turbid or muddy. 2. To mix confusedly; jumble. 3. To confuse or befuddle the mind), as with alcohol. See Synonyms at confuse. 4. To mismanage or bungle. 5. To stir or mix (a drink) gently. v.intr. To think, act, or proceed in a confused or aimless manner: muddled along through my high-school years. n. 1. A disordered condition; a mess or jumble. 2. Mental confusion.

broach

v.tr. 1. To mention for the first time. 2. To pierce in order to draw liquid.

conciliate

v.tr. 1. To overcome the distrust or animosity of; appease. 2. To regain or try to regain (friendship or goodwill) by pleasant behavior. 3. To make or attempt to make compatible; reconcile. v.intr. To gain or try to gain someone's friendship or goodwill. See Synonyms at pacify.

transfix

v.tr. 1. To pierce with or as if with a pointed weapon. 2. To fix fast; impale. 3. To render motionless, as with terror, amazement, or awe, horror, or shock.

castigate

v.tr. 1. To punish. 2. To criticize severly.

extrude

v.tr. 1. To push or thrust out. 2. To shape (a plastic, for instance) by forcing it through a die. v.intr. To protrude or project. [Latin extrdere : ex-, ex- + trdere, to thrust; see treud- in Indo-European roots.]

discomfit

v.tr. 1. To put into confusion; make uneasy or perplexed. 2. To thwart; frustrate.

codify

v.tr. 1. To reduce to a code: _ laws. 2. To arrange or systematize.

exfoliate

v.tr. 1. To remove (a layer of bark or skin, for example) in flakes or scales; peel. 2. To cast off in scales, flakes, or splinters. v.intr. To come off or separate into flakes, scales, or layers.

requite

v.tr. 1. To repay either good or evil, as to a person. 2. To avenge.

recapitulate

v.tr. 1. To repeat in concise form. v.intr. 1. To make a summary.

remonstrate

v.tr. 1. To say in plead or protest, objection, or reproof. 2. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong..

distrain

v.tr. 1. To seize and hold (property) to compel payment or reparation, as of debts. 2. To seize the property of (a person) in order to compel payment of debts; distress. v.intr. To levy a distress.

bedaub

v.tr. 1. To smear over, as with something oily. 2.To ornament in a showy, vulgar fashion.

anneal

v.tr. 1. To subject (glass or metal) to a process of heating and slow cooling in order to toughen and reduce brittleness. 2. To strengthen or harden. v. intr. To become strengthened or hardened: "the time she needed for opinion to _ around her policy" (Alexander M. Haig, Jr.)

burke

v.tr. 1. To suppress or extinguish quietly; stifle. 2. To avoid; disregard. 3. (Law) To murder by suffocation so as to leave the body intact and with no marks.

trounce

v.tr. 1. To thrash; beat. 2. To defeat decisively.

inosculate

v.tr. 1. To unite (blood vessels, nerve fibers, or ducts) by small openings. 2. To make continuous; blend. v.intr. 1. To open into one another. 2. To unite so as to be continuous; blend. 3. To unite intimately.

irradiate

v.tr. 1. a. To expose to radiation. b. To treat with radiation. 2. To shed light on; illuminate. 3. To manifest in a manner suggesting the emission of light; v.intr. Archaic 1. To send forth rays; radiate. 2. To become radiant.

consecrate

vb (tr) 1. to make or declare sacred or holy; sanctify 2. to dedicate (one's life, time, etc.) to a specific purpose 3. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) to ordain (a bishop) 4. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) to sanctify (bread and wine) for the Eucharist to be received as the body and blood of Christ 5. to cause to be respected or revered; venerate time has consecrated this custom. adj. Archaic consecrated [from Latin consecrare, from com- (intensive) + sacrare to devote, from sacer sacred]

clinch

v.tr. 1. a. To fix or secure (a nail or bolt, for example) by bending down or flattening the pointed end that protrudes. b. To fasten together in this way. 2. To settle definitely and conclusively; make final 3. Sports To secure (a divisional championship, for instance) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead. 4. Nautical To fasten with a clinch. v.intr 1. To be held together securely. 2. Sports To hold a boxing opponent's body with one or both arms to prevent or hinder punches. 3. Slang To embrace amorously. n. 1. Something, such as a clamp, that _es. 2. The _ed part of a nail, bolt, or rivet. 3. Sports An act or instance of _ing in boxing. 4. Nautical A knot in a rope made by a halfhitch with the end of the rope fastened back by seizing.

winnow

v.tr. 1. a. To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air. b. To rid of undesirable parts. 2. To blow (chaff) off or away. 3. To blow away; scatter. 4. To blow on; fan: a breeze _ing the tall grass. 5. To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift. 6.a. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: _ing out the errors in logic. b. To sort or select (a desirable part); extract. v.intr. 1. To separate grain from chaff. 2. To separate the good from the bad. n. 1. A device for _ing grain. 2. An act of _ing.

abnegate

v.tr. 1. deny oneself 2. surrender(a position of power or privelage), Note: this applies to not-high offices/positions of power. Examples: _d all claims to the deceased lord's domain; felt that if the Congress adopted these security measures, it would be _(-1)ing the nation's fundamental commitment to individual rights. More notes: Abdicate, abnegate, abrogate The two unquestionable senses of abdicate are (1) to give up power (especially a throne or national leadership), and (2) to cut oneself off from a responsibility. But the word is also commonly used in the sense to give up or set aside a privilege. Here it is almost synonymous with abnegate, which means to deny oneself something or to surrender a privilege. Because abdicate has taken over much of abnegate's territory, the latter is now rare. A third word, abrogate, is also in the mix. It means to formally repeal or abolish. Where what's repealed or abolished is a responsibility, the word comes close to abdicate. Unlike abnegate, though, it has not yielded much of its turf and is still widely used.

abrogate

v.tr. 1. to abolish by authoritative action; annul. 2. To treat as nonexistent; _(-1)ing their responsibilities. Examples: The U.S. Congress can abrogate old treaties that are unfair to Native Americans; If UAL continues to bleed red ink, some analysts say bankruptcy—which would allow it to _ its union contracts—may be its only hope. —Business Week, 12 Nov. 2001. More Notes: Abdicate, abnegate, abrogate The two unquestionable senses of abdicate are (1) to give up power (especially a throne or national leadership), and (2) to cut oneself off from a responsibility. But the word is also commonly used in the sense to give up or set aside a privilege. Here it is almost synonymous with abnegate, which means to deny oneself something or to surrender a privilege. Because abdicate has taken over much of abnegate's territory, the latter is now rare. A third word, abrogate, is also in the mix. It means to formally repeal or abolish. Where what's repealed or abolished is a responsibility, the word comes close to abdicate. Unlike abnegate, though, it has not yielded much of its turf and is still widely used.

preen

v.tr. 1.a. To smooth or clean (feathers) with the beak or bill. b. To trim or clean (fur) with the tongue, as cats do. 2. To dress or groom (oneself) with elaborate care; primp. 3. To take pride or satisfaction in (oneself); gloat. v. intr. 1. To dress up; primp. 2. To swell with pride; gloat or exult.

stultify

v.tr. Deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless "Their behavior _(-1)ed the boss's hard work" 2. To cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous. 3. Law To allege or prove insane and so not legally responsible.

recriminate

v.tr. To accuse in return. v.intr. To counter one accusation with another.

emblazon

v.tr. To adorn with prominent markings.

revile

v.tr. To assail with abusive language; vituperate. See Synonyms at scold. v.intr. To use abusive language.

impugn

v.tr. To attack as false or questionable; assail in argument. _ a political opponent's record.

hornswaggle

v.tr. To bamboozle; deceive.

consummate

v.tr. To bring to completion.

poise

v.tr. To carry or hold in equilibrium; balance. v.intr. To be balanced or held in suspension; hover. n. 1. A state of balance or equilibrium; stability. 2. Freedom from affectation or embarrassment; composure. 3. The bearing or deportment of the head or body; mien. 4. A state or condition of hovering or being suspended.

federate

v.tr. To cause to join into a league, (-3)al union, or similar association. v.intr. To become united into a federal union. adj. United in a federation.

acquiesce

v.tr. To comply; submit; agree to.

comport

v.tr. To conduct or behave (oneself) in a particular manner: _ yourself with dignity. v.intr. To agree, correspond, or harmonize: a foreign policy that _s with the principles of democracy.

deign

v.tr. To deem worth of notice or account; condescend.

expropriate

v.tr. To deprive of possession; also to transfer (another's property) to oneself.

primp

v.tr. To dress or groom (oneself) with meticulous or excessive attention to detail. v.intr. To dress or groom oneself with elaborate care; preen.

impel

v.tr. To drive or urge forward.

repudiate

vb (tr) 1. to reject the authority or validity of; refuse to accept or ratify: Congress _ the treaty that the President had negotiated 2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) to refuse to acknowledge or pay (a debt) 3. to cast off or disown (a son, lover, etc.) [from Latin repudiare to put away, from repudium a separation, divorce, from re- + pudere to be ashamed]

excoriate

vb (tr) 1. to strip (the skin) from (a person or animal); flay 2. (Medicine) Med to lose (a superficial area of skin), as by scratching, the application of chemicals, etc. 3. to denounce vehemently; censure severely [from Late Latin excoriare to strip, flay, from Latin corium skin, hide]

abdicate

v.tr. To give up (power or responsibility) formally; leave a post. v.intr. To relinquish or renounce formally a throne, high office, dignity, or function. More notes: Abdicate, abnegate, abrogate The two unquestionable senses of abdicate are (1) to give up power (especially a throne or national leadership), and (2) to cut oneself off from a responsibility. But the word is also commonly used in the sense to give up or set aside a privilege. Here it is almost synonymous with abnegate, which means to deny oneself something or to surrender a privilege. Because abdicate has taken over much of abnegate's territory, the latter is now rare. A third word, abrogate, is also in the mix. It means to formally repeal or abolish. Where what's repealed or abolished is a responsibility, the word comes close to abdicate. Unlike abnegate, though, it has not yielded much of its turf and is still widely used.

betide

v.tr. To happen to. v.intr. To take place, befall.

vivify

v.tr. To imbue with life.

dun

v.tr. To importune (a debtor) for payment. n. 1. one who does this. 2. a brownish-grey color. 3. A horse of this color.

cajole

v.tr. To impose on or persuade by flattering speech.

rescind

v.tr. To make void; repeal; annul.

embezzle

v.tr. To misappropriate secretly.

besot

v.tr. To muddle or stupefy, as with alcoholic liquor or infatuation. 2. to make stupid or foolish: The stories had _ed her mind with fear and superstition. 3. to infatuate; obsess: Youth and beauty have a tendency to _ middle-aged men; charm and tenderness does it for women of all ages.

wend

v.tr. To proceed on or along; go: _ one's way home. v.intr. To go one's way; proceed.

regale

v.tr. To provide with great enjoyment; entertain.

nonplus

v.tr. To put at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; bewilder. n. _ed A state of perplexity, confusion, or bewilderment.

deprave

v.tr. To render bad, esp. morally bad.

berate

v.tr. To scold severly and at length.

flout

v.tr. To show contempt for; scorn: _ a law; behavior that _ed convention. v.intr. To be scornful. n. A contemptuous action or remark; an insult.

appease

v.tr. To soothe by quieting anger.

purloin

v.tr. To steal, often in violation of trust. v.intr. To commit theft.

bilk

v.tr. To swindle; cheat.

dispossess

v.tr. To take away possession of something, esp property; expel: he was _ed from all his lands.

defraud

v.tr. To take something from by fraud; swindle: _ed the immigrants by selling them worthless land deeds.

blanch

v.tr. To take the color from.

abut

v.tr. To touch at the end or boundary line.

chide

v.tr. a.To scold mildly so as to correct or improve; reprimand: _d the boy for his sloppiness. b.To goad into action. v.intr. To express disapproval.

adulterate

v.tr. to debase by adding inferior material: to _ milk with water. adj. 1. _d; debased or impure 2. a less common word for _erous. [from Latin adulterare to corrupt, commit adultery, probably from alter another, hence to approach another, commit adultery]

bedraggle

v.tr. to make (hair, clothing, etc.) limp, untidy, or dirty, as with rain or mud

expiate

v.tr.&intr. To make amends or reparations for; atone.

alight

vb (intr) 1. (usually foll by from) to step out (of) or get down (from): to _ from a taxi 2. to come to rest; settle; land: a thrush _ed on the wall adj (postpositive) adv 1. burning; on fire 2. illuminated; lit up. [Old English âlîht lit up, from âlîhtan to light up; see light1]

confabulate

vb (intr) 1. to talk together; converse; chat 2. (Psychiatry) Psychiatry to replace the gaps left by a disorder of the memory with imaginary remembered experiences consistently believed to be true.

chortle

vb (intr) to chuckle gleefully. n. a gleeful chuckle

aggrieve

vb (tr) 1. (often impersonal or passive) to grieve; distress; afflict it _d her much that she could not go 2. (Law) to injure unjustly, esp by infringing a person's legal rights [C14 agreven, via Old French from Latin aggravare to aggravate]

beleaguer

vb (tr) 1. To trouble persistently; harass. 2. (Military) To lay siege to.

espouse

vb (tr) 1. to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc.) to _ socialism. 2. Archaic (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry.

abase

vb (tr) 1. to humble or belittle (oneself, etc.) 2. to lower or reduce, as in rank or estimation. [C15 abessen, from Old French abaissier to make low. See base2]

wrest

vb (tr) 1. to take or force away by violent pulling or twisting 2. to seize forcibly by violent or unlawful means 3. to obtain by laborious effort 4. to distort in meaning, purpose, etc. n. 1. the act or an instance of this being done. 2. (Music / Instruments) Archaic a small key used to tune a piano or harp [Old English wræ¯stan; related to Old Norse reista. See writhe] wrester

admonish

vb (tr). 1. to reprove firmly but not harshly 2. to advise to do or against doing something; warn; caution. [via Old French from Vulgar Latin admonestare (unattested), from Latin admonere to put one in mind of, from monere to advise]

perturb

vb (tr; often passive) 1. to disturb the composure of; trouble 2. to throw into disorder 3. (Astronomy) Physics Astronomy to cause (a planet, electron, etc.) to undergo a _ation [from Old French pertourber, from Latin perturbare to confuse, from per- (intensive) + turbare to agitate, from turba confusion]

daunt

vb (tr; often passive) 1. to intimidate 2. to dishearten

adjudge

vb (tr; usually passive) 1. to pronounce formally; declare he was _d the winner 2. (Law) a. to determine judicially; judge b. to order or pronounce by law; decree he was _d bankrupt c. to award (costs, damages, etc.)

acquit

vb 1. (Law) (foll by of) a. to free or release (from a charge of crime) b. to pronounce not guilty 2. (foll by of) to free or relieve (from an obligation, duty, responsibility, etc.) 3. to repay or settle (something, such as debt or obligation) 4. to perform (one's part); conduct (oneself).

etiolate

vb 1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) to whiten (a green plant) through lack of sunlight 2. to become or cause to become pale and weak, as from malnutrition.

redound

vb 1. (intr; foll by to) to have an advantageous or disadvantageous effect (on) brave deeds redound to your credit 2. (intr; foll by on or upon) to recoil or rebound 3. (intr) Archaic to arise; accrue wealth _ing from wise investment

disport

vb 1. (tr) to indulge (oneself) in pleasure 2. (intr) to frolic or gambol

bedevil

vb 1. to harass or torment 2. to throw into confusion 3. to possess, as with a devil.

harangue

vb to address (a person or crowd) in an angry, vehement, or forcefully persuasive way n a loud, forceful, or angry speech [from Old French, from Old Italian aringa public speech, probably of Germanic origin; related to Medieval Latin harenga; see harry, ring1]

carp

vb(intr) (oft followed by 'at') To complain or find fault; nag pettily.

exult

vb(intr) 1. to be joyful or jubilant, esp because of triumph or success; rejoice 2. (often foll by over) to triumph (over); show or take delight in the defeat or discomfiture (of) [from Latin exsultare to jump or leap for joy, from saltare to leap]

skulk

vb(intr) 1. to move stealthily so as to avoid notice 2. to lie in hiding; lurk 3. to shirk duty or evade responsibilities; malinger.

kowtow

vb(intr) 1. to touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deference: a former Chinese custom 2. (often foll by to) to be servile or obsequious (towards)

consign

vb(mainly tr) 1. To hand over or give into the care or charge of another; entrust. 2. To commit irrevocably he _ed the papers to the flames. 3. To commit for admittance to _ someone to jail. 4. (Business / Commerce) to address or deliver (goods) for sale, disposal, etc. it was _ed to his London address. 5. (intr) Obsolete to assent; agree

limn

vb(tr) 1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) to represent in drawing or painting 2. Archaic to describe in words 3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) an obsolete word for illuminate.

enfranchise

vb(tr) 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to grant the power of voting to, esp as a right of citizenship 2. to liberate, as from servitude 3. (Law) (in England) to invest (a town, city, etc.) with the right to be represented in Parliament 4. (Law) English law to convert (leasehold) to freehold

fritter

vb(tr) 1. (usually foll by away) to waste or squander: to _ away time 2. to break or tear into small pieces; shred

raze

vb(tr) 1. to demolish (a town, buildings, etc.) completely; level (esp in the phrase _ to the ground) 2. to delete; erase 3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Agriculture) Archaic to graze

subsume

vb(tr) 1. to incorporate (an idea, proposition, case, etc.) under a comprehensive or inclusive classification or heading 2. to consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle.

prepossess

vb(tr) 1. to preoccupy or engross mentally 2. to influence in advance for or against a person or thing; prejudice; bias 3. to make a favourable impression on beforehand

quell

vb(tr) 1. to suppress or beat down (rebellion, disorder, etc.); subdue 2. to overcome or allay; to _ pain; to _ grief

indoctrinate

vb(tr) 1. to teach (a person or group of people) systematically to accept doctrines, esp uncritically 2. Rare to impart learning to; instruct.

faze

vb(tr) To disconcert; worry; disturb

apportion

vb(tr) To divide, distribute, or assign appropriate shares of; allot proportionally to _ the blame.

inter

vb(tr) To place (a body) in the earth; bury, esp with funeral rites. [from Old French enterrer, from Latin in-2 + terra earth]

mollycoddle

vb(tr) to treat with indulgent care; pamper.

foist

vb. (tr) 1. (often foll by off or on) to sell or pass off (something, esp an inferior article) as genuine, valuable, etc. 2. (Law) (usually foll by in or into) to insert surreptitiously or wrongfully

impute

vb. (tr) 1. to attribute or ascribe (something dishonest or dishonourable, esp a criminal offence) to a person 2. to attribute to a source or cause I _ your success to nepotism 3. (Business / Commerce) To give (a notional value) to goods or services when the real value is unknown [from Latin imputare, from im- + putare to think, calculate]

redress

vb. (tr) 1. to put right (a wrong), esp by compensation; make reparation for to _ a grievance 2. to correct or adjust (esp in the phrase _ the balance) 3. to make compensation to (a person) for a wrong n. 1. the act or an instance of setting right a wrong; remedy or cure to seek _ of grievances 2. compensation, amends, or reparation for a wrong, injury, etc. 3. relief from poverty or want [from Old French redrecier to set up again, from re- + drecier to straighten; see dress]

oxidize

vb. 1. (Chemistry) to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction with oxygen, as in formation of an oxide 2. (Chemistry) to form or cause to form a layer of metal oxide, as in rusting 3. (Chemistry) to lose or cause to lose hydrogen atoms 4. (Chemistry) to undergo or cause to undergo a decrease in the number of electrons.

divest

vb. 1. (Clothing & Fashion) to strip (of clothes); to _ oneself of one's coat 2. to deprive or dispossess 3. (Law) Property law to take away an estate or interest in property vested (in a person). 4. To sell off or otherwise dispose of (a subsidiary company or an investment)

ingraft,engraft

vb. 1. To grow togehter parts from different plants. 2. To incorporate in a firm or permanent way; implant.

joggle

vb. 1. To shake or move with a slightly jolting moltion. 2. A joint between two pieces formed by a notch and a fitted projection.

imbrue,embrue

vb. 1. to stain, esp with blood 2. to permeate, impregnate or imbue.

vituperate

vb. To berate or rail (against) abusively; revile [from Latin vituperare to blame, from vitium a defect + parare to make]

foreordain

vb. To determine (events, results, etc.) in the future.

cadge

vb. To get (food, money, etc.) by sponging or begging. n. 1. Brit A person who _s. on the _ Brit informal engaged in _ing [of unknown origin]

gibe

vb. To make jeering or scoffing remarks (at); taunt. n. A derisive or provoking remark.

misapprehend

vb. To misunderstand.

cozen

vb. to cheat or trick (someone) [cant term perhaps related to cousin]

bewail

vb. to express great sorrow over (a person or thing); lament

agglomerate

vb. to form or be formed into a mass or cluster; collect. n. 1. a confused mass 2. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) a rock consisting of angular fragments of volcanic lava adj. formed into a mass.

malinger

vb.(intr) To pretend or exaggerate illness, esp to avoid work. [from French malingre sickly, perhaps from mal badly + Old French haingre feeble]

bowdlerize

vb.(tr) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) To remove passages or words regarded as indecent from (a play, novel, etc.); expurgate.

dissuade

vb.(tr) 1. (often foll by from) to deter (someone) by persuasion from a course of action, policy, etc. 2. to advise against (an action, etc.).

distress

vb.(tr) 1. To cause strain, anxiety, or suffering to. 2. (Law) To hold the property of (a person) against the payment of debts. 3. To mar or otherwise treat (an object or fabric, for example) to give the appearance of an antique or of heavy prior use.

collocate

vb.(tr) To group or place together in some system or order. [from Latin collocare, from com- together + locare to place, from locus place]

adduce

vb.(tr) To lead or bring to by citing (reasons, examples, etc.) as pertinent or conclusive evidence or proof. [from Latin adducere to lead or bring to]

harry

vb.tr. 1. To harass; worry 2. (Military) to ravage (a town, etc.), esp in war

purport